Transit driver racks up £900 court bill in 34 minutes for speeding TWICE through Northamptonshire village

A van driver racked up more than £900 in court bills in just over half-an-hour by speeding through a Northamptonshire village TWICE.

Peter Aspinall, 37, was judged to have been behind the wheel of a white Ford Transit clocked at 47mph in a 30mph zone through Welford at 10.18am on August 27 last year.

Enforcement cameras also snapped the same vehicle at 35mph on the same stretch of the A5199 at 10:54am on the same day.

Northampton magistrates hit Aspinall with fines of £440 and £220 for the two offences.

He was also ordered to pay prosecution costs of £90 for each offence, plus surcharges to fund victim services totalling £78.

Aspinall, from Stacey Bushes, Milton Keynes, did not appear at Northampton Magistrates Court to answer the charges but the cases were found proved in his absence.

He also had eight penalty points added to his driving record.

Six crews in the Northamptonshire Police Safer Roads Team regularly visit 173 locations across the county watching out for three of the 'Fatal Four' traffic offences — speeding, drivers using a mobile device at the wheel, and vehicle occupants not wearing a seatbelt.

The Fatal Four offences — which also includes drink or drug-driving — are those most commonly linked to deaths and serious injuries on roads.

A Safer Roads Team spokesman said: "More than 3,000 people are killed on roads each year. Excess speed not only increases the risk of a collision, but in the case of a collision, increases the severity of injuries sustained.

"By enforcing speed limits, we aim to reduce those figures.

"We are not interested in raising revenue — we're interested in making the roads a safe place to be for all users.

"Our most successful sites are those where we capture ZERO offences because it means everybody is driving safely.

“We see first-hand the devastating effect speeding can have not only on those involved in a collision but also family, friends and the wider community, so please stick to the speed limits.

"Driving slow and careful is what we like to see putting your foot down and speeding when you think you're far enough down the road to avoid being caught is not the best idea.”

Drivers snapped by speed cameras get a notice of intending prosecution with the option to pay a £100 fixed penalty and have three points on their licence.

Those who tot up 12 or more points within a period of three years risk going to court and a driving ban.

Those who do not accept the fixed penalty will also face the magistrates who decide the level of fines according to what the speed limit was and how much over it you were driving. It’s usually a percentage of your weekly income, up to a maximum of £1,000 or £2,500 on a motorway.

Those caught not wearing a seatbelt face £220 court fines.