MORE than 150 drivers were caught speeding at over 100mph by Thames Valley Police last year – with one reaching almost twice the speed limit.

Officers have revealed the top five speeds clocked on the roads last year – with the worst offender racing along at a whopping 136mph.

Across the Thames Valley 152 people were caught. The top speeds recorded by police were 136mph, 132mph, 126 mph and 125mph.

However, the force did not say exactly where the offences took place but confirmed that three of the speeders were men, while the gender of the other two remains unknown.

In January, police released this video of a BMW 3 series racing along the M40 at speeds approaching 130mph. 

The number of drivers pushing the speedo beyond 100mph in the Thames Valley is up on 2017, when police caught 135.

The figures have been obtained road safety charity Brake, which is calling for automatic bans for drivers caught going over 100mph.

The charity gathered figures from 40 of the 45 police forces across the UK, following a Freedom of Information request.

Oxford Mail:

Each force was asked to supply the total number of offences recorded by a speed camera or from an officer's speed radar where a motorist was found to be going over 100mph, for 2018.

They were also asked to provide the top five speeds recorded in their area, including what the speed limit was, the location, the driver’s age and gender.

Joshua Harris, director of campaigns for Brake, said: "There is absolutely no justification for any driver to be travelling at such excessive speeds – more than twice the national speed limit in some cases – putting themselves and others in grave danger.

"The number of drivers caught speeding at over 100mph highlights some deeply concerning issues with speeding across the country and makes clear the need for action.

"Anyone caught travelling at such speed should always face a ban – we have to make sure these dangerous, selfish drivers are taken off our roads.

Oxford Mail:

"The Government must invest in national roads policing as a priority to provide the police with the resources they need to get out on the roads and act as a true deterrent to dangerous driving.

"The law must also be used to its fullest extent in penalising such dangerous behaviour, making it clear that speeding will not be tolerated."

Four forces recorded more than 1,000 motorists exceeding 100mph last year.

  1. West Yorkshire 2,252 
  2. Kent Police 1,323
  3. West Mercia Police 1,114
  4. Surrey police 1,016.