It's been a busy start to the month for Lancashire's road police as numerous vehicles were caught driving at totally unacceptable speeds on the county's roads and motorways, with some drivers quick to offer lame excuses for their law breaking.
From the incidents we've been made aware of, we calculated the speeds accumulated to more than 700mph - 10 times the legal motorway speed limit.
Here's a summary of the worst offenders:
160mph
The highest recorded was that of a Mercedes A3 AMG, which had been clocked doing 160mph on the M61 and 103mph in a residential area of Bacup.
The culprit, a 21-year-old, rightly had his high-performance sports car seized by police after he'd posted a video of the vehicle being driven at more than twice the speed limit on Facebook.
The vehicle had also been modified with a body kit and exhaust system, which, police discovered, had not been declared to the insurance provider.
100mph+
On Wednesday, police pulled a McLaren supercar on the M61 near Rivington when officers in an unmarked car spotted it zooming past them way above the speed limit.
The bright orange vehicle was pulled over and subsequently seized, after it topped the speedometer at more than 100mph.
And it was the icing on the cake for officers when they discovered the driver was also disqualified.
A police spokesman said: “HO30 (in an unmarked police car) was overtaken on the motorway at well over 100mph by this Maclaren.
“When pulled over it was discovered the driver was disqualified, but doesn't it look ace in the recovery yard.”
145mph
Elsewhere, a VW Golf sped off from an unmarked police car at more than 145pm on a busy stretch of the M61 close to Chorley.
Police followed the car but it accelerated to more than twice the legal driving limit for a motorway.
Posting on Twitter, a spokesperson for Lancashire Road Police said: "This vehicle passed an unmarked police vehicle on the M61 northbound near Chorley in excess of 100mph."
145mph
Another motorist was given a stark warning after they were caught by police using the hard shoulder to avoid traffic.
And when pulled over and asked why they were in the emergency lane, the motorist explained to officers that they were ‘late for work’
A spokesman for the force said: “Being late for work may be an emergency in some people’s eyes but it certainly doesn’t entitle you to drive along the hard shoulder to beat queuing traffic as this driver found out on the M65 at Hapton.
"The vehicle was followed where it reached speeds in excess of 145mph.
"Driver arrested and hopefully a lengthy ban awaits."
105mph
Over on the M6, the driver of a Golf got a one way ticket to the Magistrates court after being clocked doing 105mph and telling the officers they 'don't normally drive that fast.”
'Excessive speeds'
And in Accrington the cost of a late-night burger ended up considerably higher for one motorist as he was pulled over on the M66 and his vehicle seized.
The unlucky driver claimed he'd been out looking for a burger but was clocked driving at excessive speeds through Accrington.
What's more, he'd already been warned about his speed since lockdown began.
A police spokesman said: “The driver had already been warned in April about his style of driving but ignored the advice.”
Despite most of the offences committed on our county's motorways, many have been clocked breaking the 30mph speed limit on residential roads across East Lancashire, with a vehicle in Nelson spotted travelling at 81mph on Halifax Road - almost three times the legal road limit.
Static yellow cameras across the county have also detected drivers choosing to travel at 60mph, 67mph, 65mph, 81mph ALL in 30mph limits, putting pedestrians as well as road users at risk of harm and injury.
Road safety campaigners have slammed the behaviour, calling speeders 'arrogant and stupid'.
Joshua Harris, director of campaigns for Brake said: “The shocking speeds show arrogance, stupidity and a frankly disgusting lack of regard for the safety of others.
“We urgently need a rehaul of our road culture, with speeding no longer tolerated and cycling and walking given priority investment.
"Lockdown has shown the value people place in quieter, safer streets and we must do all we can to maintain this momentum, starting with setting an example to those who brazenly flout the law and endanger lives.”
In May, a major operation named Manta Ray was launched by Lancashire Police to target speeding on the county’s road network.
The crackdown on drivers was announced after serious concerns were raised over the abuse of speed limits since the coronavirus lockdown began.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel