Northampton motorist caught speeding SIX TIMES, including three on controversial M1 smart motorway, while banned from driving

Signs warn driviers of speed limits on the M1 in Northamptonshire

A Northampton motorist was caught speeding SIX TIMES in four months — all while she continued to get behind the wheel despite being banned from driving and uninsured.

According to court documents, enforcement cameras snapped 45-year-old Laura Robinson’s black Honda Civic three times on the M1, twice on the Weedon Road, near Harpole, and once at Crick — all between April 15 and August 11, 2024. The three offences on the M1 were all committed in the space of four days during periods when 50mph temporary speed restrictions were in force.

Magistrates in Northampton had already landed her with an 18-month disqualification in October 2023 after she racked up more than 12 penalty points on her record by driving and speeding on the motorway while only holding a provisional licence.

Robinson, of Byfield Road, appeared at Northampton Magistrates’ Court on January 29 where she admitted six counts of driving while disqualified and six counts of using a vehicle with no insurance. She also pleaded guilty to these speeding offences:

■ 58mph on April 15, 2024, on A4500 Weedon Road, Harpole, exceeding the legal limit of 50mph. ■ 60mph on May 1, 2024, on A4500 Weedon Road, Harpole, exceeding the legal limit of 50mph. ■ 38mph on June 25, 2024, on Main Road, Crick, exceeding the legal limit of 30mph. ■ 60mph on August 8, 2024, on M1 northbound J16-J17 contraventing a 50mph temporary maximum speed restriction. ■ 57mph on August 10, 2024, on M1 southbound junctions 17 and 16 contraventing a 50mph temporary maximum speed restriction. ■ 62mph on August 11. 2024, on M1 southbound junctions 17 and 16 contraventing a 50mph temporary maximum speed restriction.

Magistrates handed Robinson a 12-month community order with an instruction to carry out 200 hours unpaid work and disqualified her from driving for a further 12 months. She must also pay £85 towards Crown Prosecution Service costs and a £114 surcharge to fund victim services.

Robinson had previously admitted speeding twice in an Audi SL58GWA on the northbound M1 between junctions 16 and 17 during February 2023, clocking 61mph in a 40mph temporary restriction and 58mph in a 50mph zone. She landed two further penalties by driving on a motorway despite only having a provisional licence — taking her over the 12-point ‘totting up’ limit resulting in a ban for repeat offending.

Variable speed limits are used on so-called smart motorways where hard shoulders have been removed in favour of an extra ‘live’ lane to increase capacity — including on the M1 through Northamptonshire. As a safety measure, management systems using CCTV cameras are relied on to control traffic flow and respond to incidents such as breakdowns and collisions with overhead signs warning drivers of reduced speed limits.

The M1 between junctions 16 and 19 opened as a smart motorway in 2017 but, in response to safety concerns, Highways England began work to retrofit 20 extra emergency refuge areas in April 2024, leading to the introduction of a temporary speed limit. That work is scheduled to be completed this spring.