ONE in eight speeding offences detected by police in Sussex were cancelled last year, figures reveal.

The RAC Foundation said the hundreds of thousands of fines cancelled each year across England and Wales are evidence that the system for catching and prosecuting speeding motorists is not working.

The charity's analysis of Home Office data shows that Sussex Police recorded 54,028 speeding offences in 2020-21.

Of these, 16,323 (30 per cent) were dealt with by fixed penalty notices and 24,517 (45 per cent) by speeding awareness courses, while 6,366 (12 per cent) resulted in someone being taken to court.

A further 6,820 (13 per cent) were dismissed – though this was down from 14 per cent the year before.

Among the reasons why offences could be cancelled are faulty or incorrectly calibrated speed cameras, a lack of resources to bring cases to court, or cloned vehicles carrying a false number plate, according to the RAC Foundation.

Across England and Wales, 17 per cent of all speeding offences were cancelled last year – an increase from 13 per cent in 2019-20.

Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said it is important that the systems of detection and prosecution for speeding are robust.

He said "The hundreds of thousands of ‘cancelled’ offences each year indicate they are not.

"At the very least it is an administrative burden the police could do without.

“We urge the Home Office to start collecting data from police forces about these cancelled offences so we can understand where the problem lies.”

The 2.4 million speeding cases detected nationally in 2020-21 – a period which included travel restrictions imposed to combat Covid-19 – was down six per cent on the previous year.

The number of speeding offences also fell in Sussex, down 18 per cent from 65,954 in 2019-20, making it the lowest number since comparable records began in 2012-13.

A Home Office spokeswoman said: “How the police deal with speeding offences is an operational matter and will be enforced at the discretion of the individual police force.

“Motorists must obey the speed limit, which is there to protect and benefit all road users.”

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