Sussex Police catch drivers at 125mph during European crackdown on speeding

Police officers heading to the Midlands on an inquiry caught two speeding drivers racing at 125mph on the way.

Surrey and Sussex roads policing unit officers PC Nathan Langley and PC David Upjohn were travelling to Northampton to interview a witness about a crash when they were passed by two men in sports cars at high speed.

The officers were heading north from the M25 onto the M1 at about 9am on April 18 when they were overtaken by an orange Porsche 911 GTS and a blue Subaru Impreza WRX STi.

They followed the men and then signalled for them to stop before roads policing unit officers from Bedfordshire Police took over and dealt with the drivers.

The 45-year-old man from the Wembley area of London, who was driving the Porsche, and the 26-year-old man from the Staines area of London, who was driving the Subaru, have been reported for summons for careless driving and speeding.

The men were stopped during a Europe-wide week of action by police forces across the continent that focused on the issue of speeding.

Dedicated patrols were sent out in Sussex and static checks were set up at speeding hotspots.

During the week 257 motorists were dealt with for speeding. Fourteen of them were given a verbal warning at the roadside and 16 were travelling so far above the speed limit that they were immediately told they would be summonsed to appear in court.

The remaining 227 have been told their cases will be assessed to determine what action should be taken against them. Some will be offered the chance to go on a speed awareness course, some will be given a fine and points for speeding while others will be summonsed to appear in court.

Anyone that takes up the chance to go on a course but does not complete it, or who does not pay their fine, could be ordered to appear in court.

Notable arrests during the week included:

- a 50-year-old man was spotted travelling at 75mph in a busy 30mph area near a school. The man, from Hove, was on a Triumph Sprint ST motorbike on Old Shoreham Road, close to the Weald Avenue junction and Hove Park School at 2.30pm on 19 April when he was caught in a police check. He has been reported for summons for speeding and having an illegal numberplate.

- a 27-year-old man was seen by a police patrol as he overtook six cars travelling north in a Nissan Skyline on the A22 East Hoathly bypass at 100mph at 8.10am on 13 April. He has been reported for summons for speeding.

Sergeant Carl Knapp, of Sussex and Surrey roads policing unit, said: “All we ask motorists to do is to stick to the speed limit but some people still believe that the law does not apply to them.

“Officers are out every day looking for those who put other road users in danger through their driving and we will continue to run targeted operations like this to catch offenders.

“Speed limits are there for a reason. The quicker you are travelling at, the shorter the time you have to react to anything that happens around you and the greater the chance of you being unable to avoid a preventable accident. It is better to get to your destination late than not at all.”

If you see someone driving antisocially, report it at www.operationcrackdown.co.uk or email [email protected].

If you see someone driving dangerously, call 999.