A SPEED camera in Chester recorded an incredible 8,718 offences in just over two years – an average of 75 a week.

The camera on the A56 Hoole Road coming into the city is said to have been the most active in Cheshire between January 1, 2016, and May 31, 2018.

The figures were compiled by comparison website GoCompare following Freedom of Information requests to all police forces.

The constabulary that reported the most speeding offences was Avon and Somerset with 386,969. Cheshire came in at number five with 112,540 and North Wales was eighth with 105,295.

In Cheshire, the second most active camera was on the M6 Northbound, junction 17-18, at Bradwall with 3,835 in 2016, while the M6 Northbound between junction 16-17 Betchton clocked 3,733 offences in 2017.

The figures show that between 2016/2017 and 2017/2018 there was a 5.4 per cent increase in the number of speeding offences recorded – 56,017 to 59,065.

The report also revealed some shocking cases of law breaking. In 2016, one driver was recorded travelling at 116mph on the A556 Chester Road – 46mph more than the speed limit.

An incident in Liverpool, however, trumped all to be crowned the worst speeding offence in the UK after a driver was clocked at an eye-watering 148mph in a 50mph zone.

Defence lawyer, Howard Jones, a partner at Russell & Russell Solicitors in Chester, said: “We all know speeding is dangerous, but some of the examples highlighted in this report are ludicrous and should rightly be prosecuted. The roads are getting busier and busier and, love them or hate them, speed cameras are a mechanism to prevent accidents and are here to stay.

“If you’ve a clean licence and are caught driving at what is deemed a moderate speed, there’s a good chance you’ll be offered a speed awareness course. But, each motoring offence is judged on its individual circumstances and if you are prosecuted, you could find yourself with a fixed penalty and anything between three and six points.

“If you’ve already had points put on your licence in the last three years, then you’re at risk of ‘totting-up’ which means that 12 or more points will make you liable for a minimum six months disqualification. Of course, in some instances, we can argue exceptional hardship to avoid or reduce the ban, but the simple message here is if you don’t want to risk your licence, don’t speed.”

To view GoCompare's statistics, visit https://www.gocompare.com/car-insurance/speed-offences/