Drivers slapped with £1.3 million worth of fines for 'driving at 27mph'

Drivers in Wales have been slapped with eye-watering and jaw-dropping £1.3million worth of fines for breaking a "ridiculous" 20mph speed limit rule. According to new data from GoSafe, the Welsh road casualty reduction partnership, a total of 6,603 people committed a speeding offence on the 20mph roads.

5,711 drivers broke the rules in Mid and South Wales, while 892 motorists were caught in North Wales. Fines from the scheme have exceeded £1.28million, with drivers being slapped with a £100 fine and three penalty points if they are found to be speeding.

The average offence speed in Mid and South Wales ranges from 27.9mph to 30.4mph. In June the average speed reached 28.1mph, more than eight miles per hour faster than the designated speed limit, according to analysis.

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And in North Wales the average speed was 32.4mph in June, having surpassed the 31mph benchmark in April. Natasha Asghar MS, Shadow Transport Minister, from the Conservative Party, said: “The damage to our economy and to people’s livelihoods should not be underplayed and the Welsh people have soundly rejected the 20mph speed limit.

“With astounding sums of money generated through fines being issued, there appears to still be confusion surrounding 20mph speed limits due to Labour’s terrible awareness campaign and their poor rollout. The Welsh Conservatives would scrap this ridiculous policy which punishes people for trying to get from A to B.”

The highest offence speed clocked by police officers and road safety partners was 80mph in Mid and South Wales, with one driver in North Wales speeding through a 20mph zone at four times the speed limit. They racked up a staggering and worrying 82mph, the data shows.

The findings have emerged weeks after the Labour Party government in Wales vowed to backtrack over the widespread rollout of 20mph zones across the border.