POLICE carried out a speed enforcement campaign around Devon and Cornwall between August 6 and 12.

The officers, from the Peninsula Road Safety Partnership, were in mobile speed detection vans and from 8th to 12th focused their attention on routes into and out of Cornwall, with increased traffic for the Boardmasters festival.

In total 1,687 speeding offences were detected and the offenders, depending on the severity of the offence and eligibility, will be offered a speed awareness course, a conditional offer or, if they choose to go to court, face prosecution for the speeding offence.

Marcus Laine, Operations Manager for the Peninsula Road Safety Partnership, said: “Our primary aim is to keep everyone who uses the roads within Devon and Cornwall as safe as possible. Given the huge numbers of visitors the area attracts each year for events like Boardmasters and in general tourism, there will unfortunately be the small minority that do not place their own or other road users safety as a priority. 

“We aim to deter such individuals from driving in a dangerous manner. The number of recorded offences this year has increased, close to two and a half times the number of notices of intended prosecution that we generated during the same period last year. We put this down to improved intelligence and siting of our speed detection officers.”

He added: “However we should put this into the context of a massive influx of visitors to the area, and so we actually found that the vast majority of road users were travelling within the confines of the Highway Code. Our thanks goes out to all the careful and considerate drivers who attended Boardmasters this year and who have come here on holiday.

“This is to be encouraged and we hope it continues. Excessive speed or inappropriate speed for the road conditions is of one of the five main causes of death and serious injury on our roads, and there is no excuse for it.”

If you are concerned about speeding in your community on residential. minor and B-roads, find out more about our Speed Watch initiative, here: www.devon-cornwall.police.uk/advice/on-the-road/speed-watch