Foreign drivers caught by speed cameras in the county escape fines because Kent Police do not pursue them, we can reveal.

The force says it does have the power to issue fixed penalty notices for speeding because these only apply to UK drivers.

A Freedom of Information request showed that of the 841 foreign drivers caught by the county’s speed cameras in the year up to March 31, none received fines.

Meanwhile 41,585 fines were issued to British drivers of which 29,206 have been paid.

But UK drivers caught speeding in France face arrest by the police or gendarmerie and an on the spot fine.

And in the most serious cases, drivers can have their cars confiscated.

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Brian MacDowall, from Herne Bay, is a member of the Kent branch of the Association of British Drivers.

He said: “In an ideal world, everybody should be pursued for speeding, but the practicalities of it are quite different.

“There is an enormous amount of bureaucracy and cost involved in trying to pursue a foreign driver.

“However, pretty soon there will be a European identity card and we may find ourselves having to pay parking and speeding fines across the continent.”

Lisa Brett, a spokesman for Kent Police, said that next year the Department for Transport is to introduce rules which will make it easier to pursue foreign drivers.

“At the moment the points system doesn’t apply to foreign licence holders,” she said.

“But we can prosecute foreign drivers for more serious driving offences.

“For example, one of the inspectors told me that a foreign driver was caught doing 120mph on the motorway and has been through the courts.

“Police can and do arrest motorists of foreign registered vehicles for speeding but it’s up to the Crown Prosecution Service to decide whether there is sufficient evidence to pursue the matter in court.”