Revealed: The drivers caught at staggering speeds on county roads by West Mercia Police

An investigation has revealed the  “incredibly dangerous actions” by motorists in the region  in the 20 months to the end of August last year.

The highest recorded speed on 30mph roads included in the analysis  in the West Mercia Police area was 106mph, while the fastest speed detected on any road in the regional area was 132mph on a stretch of the M5.

The speed limit at that time was 50mph. 

In the North Wales Police area, one driver was clocked doing more than double the speed limit at 72mph in a 30mph zone, while another reached 123mph on the A55 - in a 70mph speed zone. 

The RAC, which obtained the figures through Freedom of Information requests, has called on the Government to use its forthcoming road safety strategy to tackle “avoidable casualties” in crashes involving speeding drivers. 

RAC road safety spokesman Rod Dennis said there was no place for the vastly excessive speeds that some people are prepared to drive.

He added: “Although this data is a snapshot, it shines a light on the incredibly dangerous actions of a few, that are putting law-abiding road users at serious risk. Thankfully, the police were on hand to catch these drivers.

“Speed is the leading cause of deaths on UK roads. We look forward to the Government’s forthcoming road safety strategy understanding what can be done to reduce such avoidable casualties on the UK’s roads.”

Among the problem roads and accident blackspots that have been highlighted in the region in recent years is the Llynclys crossroads on the A483 between Oswestry and Llanymynech.

National Highways previously branded the junction as the worst in the region when looking at locations where a cluster of incidents had taken place. 

However, the government-owned company stated last year that the crossroads ranked 54th out of 110 on their list of 'problem junctions' in the Midlands.

And there has been a number of cases where speeding drivers have been jailed in recent months, including  Matthew David Mills, 28, who was sentenced to nine months in prison and disqualified from driving for three years after driving dangerously and at excess speed to avoid police. 

Mills, of Church View in Chirk, led police on a high-speed chase in Wrexham. 

Chief Constable Jo Shiner, the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for roads policing, said choosing to drive so far above set speed limits was "reckless, selfish and completely unacceptable". 

Separate Department for Transport (DfT) statistics show 331 people died in crashes on Britain’s roads in 2023 in which a driver exceeding the speed limit was a contributory factor.

This was at least a 10-year high and represented 21% of all road fatalities.

An RAC survey carried out last year indicated 55% of drivers believe there is a culture among UK road users that it is acceptable to speed, with only 23% disagreeing with this assertion.

A DfT spokesman said: “There’s no excuse for those who risk the lives of others through speeding, and there are already tough penalties in place for drivers who speed.

“While our roads are among the safest in the world, we are committed to improving road safety, and recently relaunched our Think! campaign with a focus on speeding, particularly on rural roads.”

The survey of 2,691 drivers was carried out by research company Online95 between March 23 and April 15 last year.

Here is a breakdown of the highest speeds on 30mph roads:

1. South Yorkshire Police: 122mph

2. Sussex Police: 113mph

3=. Greater Manchester Police: 112mph

3=. West Yorkshire Police: 112mph

5. West Mercia Police: 106mph

6. Lancashire Constabulary: 104mph

7=. Nottinghamshire Police: 103mph

7=. Bedfordshire Police: 103mph

9=. West Midlands Police: 100mph

9=. Police Service of Northern Ireland: 100mph

11. Dorset Police: 97mph

12. Lincolnshire Police: 96mph

13=. Avon and Somerset Police: 93mph

13=. Kent Police: 93mph

13=. Police Scotland: 93mph

16. Leicestershire Police: 92mph

17=. Cambridgeshire Constabulary: 91mph

17=. Durham Constabulary: 91mph

17=. Gwent Police: 91mph

20=. Essex Police: 90mph

20=. Hampshire Constabulary: 90mph

22=. Devon and Cornwall Police: 89mph

22=. Merseyside Police: 89mph

22=. Norfolk Constabulary: 89mph

25. Staffordshire Police: 87mph

26=. Northumbria Police: 85mph

26=. Hertfordshire Constabulary: 85mph

28=. Suffolk Constabulary: 83mph

28=. Warwickshire Police: 83mph

30. Cumbria Police: 78mph

31=. Cheshire Constabulary: 77mph

31=. North Yorkshire Police: 77mph

33. Northamptonshire Police: 76mph

34. Gloucestershire Constabulary: 74mph

35. North Wales Police: 72mph

36. Cleveland Police: 64mph