MORE than 25,000 speeding offences were reported to Gwent Police last year, despite stay at home rules being in place for much of it.

More than 121,000 motorists were caught speeding across Wales last year, according to a new Freedom of Information data obtained by Confused.com.

It suggests drivers across the country collectively paid out at least £12 million in fines, with the minimum fine being £100. 

Gwent Police recorded the highest speed by a motorist.

One driver was caught hitting speeds of 142mph on the M4 between junction 27 for High Cross and junction 26 for Malpas.

However, South Wales Police was revealed to have reported the highest number of speeding offences last year, with almost 54,000 drivers breaking the speed limit over the 12 months. This is followed by North Wales Police, which reported almost 41,000 offences over the year.

The number of drivers caught breaking the speed limit in Wales last year accounted for five per cent of the total UK speeding offences last year.

In total, a whopping 2.2 million motorists were caught driving above the speed limit, hitting speeds of up to 163mph in some regions.

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Alex Kindred, car insurance expert at Confused.com, comments: “It’s worrying to think that many people took advantage of quieter roads during lockdown to ramp up the speed. Speed limits are in place for a reason – to keep road users and pedestrians safe.

“If you’re caught speeding, you could be paying out up to 175% of your weekly income – this could be up to £1,000 for some drivers, or £2,500 on a motorway.

"But it is confusing to work out the penalty with the rules changing depending on the severity of the offence.

"Our speeding fine calculator will show just how much you could potentially be forking out, even for going a few miles an hour over the limit.

"Stick to the limit and avoid a hefty fine.”