MOTORISTS in Gloucestershire have been caught speeding almost 30,000 times in the last year, new figures show.

Since January 2013, Gloucestershire Police recorded 27,287 speeding offences.

In addition, 64 collisions in that time were recorded as caused by exceeding the speed limit or driving too fast.

The three roads with the highest incident rates of speeding in the Gloucestershire area have been the M5, the A417 and the A46.

The three towns with the highest incident rates of speeding offences were Cheltenham, Tewkesbury and Newent, with the top three villages being Corse, Maismore and Bream.

The figures were published as part of a study by More Than Car Insurance , with spokeswoman Janet Connor saying the research showed a “worrying number” of drivers thought speeding was acceptable everyday behaviour.

“Couple this with shocking ignorance when it comes to the most common road signs which are designed to help ensure safe and responsible driving and you’ve got a recipe for road disaster as well as an increase in the cost of car insurance.”

Senior campaigner for road safety charity Brake, Gary Rae, said: “It can never be acceptable and we urge all drivers to respect road safety laws and recognise that such laws exist to help save lives.

“Speed limits are just that – a limit – not a target to exceed. Brake sees daily the carnage that speeding can cause through our support services for people seriously injured and bereaved.”