Additional reporting by Patrick Jack

The number of drivers caught speeding in Kent during lockdown was 53% up on the same time last year.

Kent Police officers enforced 10,828 speeding offences during April.

Kent was one of only three forces across England and Wales to record year-on-year rises in speeding incidents, with the majority of forces who provided data observing an overall decrease.

The speed of the fastest driver caught in Kent also rose, from 126mph in April 2019 to 137mph in April this year.

One driver was clocked at 131mph just a few days ago near Ashford, almost double the speed limit of the road they were on.

With a drop seen across England and Wales, road safety charity Brake wants to avoid a rebound in dangerous driving now that more drivers are back out on the roads.

Joshua Harris, director of campaigns at Brake, said: “Any drop in speeding on the road is positive news but this must be tempered by the fact that lockdown dramatically reduced the number of vehicles on the road.

"As traffic increases, post-lockdown, we need to see measures introduced to avoid a rebound in dangerous driving and to minimise crashes.

“We need tough enforcement and safer, lower speed limits to help keep our roads as safe as possible and to try and sustain the positive increase in walking and cycling over the past few months.”

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents said many drivers exceed the speed limit without realising it. It urged people to look for signs, check their speedometer regularly and remember that speed limits are a maximum, not a target.

Nick Lloyd, head of road safety at Rospa, said: “Higher speeds mean drivers have less time to identify and react to what is happening around them, prolonging the time it takes for the vehicle to stop, and raising the risk of a crash occurring.

“This puts the driver and other people at risk. Added to that, the higher the speed, the greater the risk of death or injury in a collision.”

Read more: All the latest news from Kent