Police speed camera van will be deployed at one of the busiest stretches of the A1

A speed camera van is set to be deployed at one of the busiest stretches of the A1 after police reduced speeding by 20% in another section of the road.

Northumbria Police deployed their mobile speed camera in Northumberland earlier this year after a number of accidents on the 70mph road near the village of Felton.

On the first day of enforcement, 66 motorists were recorded exceeding the speed limit. This included three vehicles travelling at more than 100mph.

After several months of deploying the speed camera van in the area, Northumbria Police said they had reduced the number of speeding drivers by 20%.

The force now plan to deploy the van on other areas of the A1, starting with the 50mph stretch of road between Birtley and the Metrocentre in Gateshead.

The enforcement activity will begin in the coming days, after complaints from concerned members of the public were supported by accident statistics and speed survey data showing excessive speeding.

PC Peter Burke, of Northumbria’s Camera Enforcement Unit, said drivers were being informed of the enforcement in advance as the Force’s priority is to “save lives”. He said:

"Our motivation is to reduce speeding and keep our roads safe. We know that this tactic works and the results of our enforcement in Felton demonstrate just that.

“There are often comments about the process being a money-making venture but this is categorically not the case.

“The reason we are informing people that enforcement activity is about to commence is to try to get them to slow down even before the enforcement begins.

“If we can achieve this and reduce the speeds on that section of road then we are more likely to prevent accidents and injuries as a consequence.

“I would like to emphasise that most road users on this section of road comply with the limit and I would like to thank them for doing so.

“But driving at nearly twice the speed limit puts lives at risk and if you ignore these warnings then you could find yourself before the courts.”

Anyone who wants to report illegal activity on the roads can do so by contacting 101 or sending in dashcam footage on the Northumbria Police website.