A Kent police chief has welcomed tough plans to throw the book at speeding drivers.

Traffic Inspector for Kent Police Paul Sellwood was speaking after a government think tank announced toughened measures to crack down on the worst offenders.

Under the proposals, drivers caught speeding at 20mph over the limit could be slapped with a six-point penalty on their licence.

Inps Sellwood said: “Heightening the consequences of speeding will have a big impact because people will realise you only have to get caught twice doing more than 20mph over the limit before you lose your licence.

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“It will have a deterrent factor and certainly contribute towards reducing speeding.

“It is definitely a step in the right direction. We will keep putting pressure on the government as the road policing lobby to make the consequences of speeding higher so people are not tempted.

“We just need the will from the government to change the law.”

The Department for Transport report published today is recommending stronger penalties for those who speed excessively.

The Road Safety Compliance Consultation also suggests a review on limits for drug driving and drink driving.

There were 2,946 road users killed on the UK's roads in 2007 and nearly 28,000 seriously injured.

Despite a concerted enforcement and publicity effort by the government around half of vehicles still exceed the 30 mph speed limit nationally.

There were 727 deaths where speed was recorded as a contributory factor in 2007 on Britain’s roads.