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Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
I've been caught by Britain's most prolific speed camera – it makes the road no safer
When careful motorist Norman Tate received a letter of intended prosecution for speeding, he could hardly believe it. It told the grandfather, who had had a clean driving licence for more than a quarter of a century before the incident last year, that he'd been caught doing 45mph in a 30mph zone in his Ford Mondeo by a speed camera on a busy junction on the A38 in Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire. 'I'm a straight-up person. My immediate thought was, 'I'm a senior citizen and don't do 45mph in a 30mph area,'' says Tate, now 80. 'I might creep over the limit by a few miles an hour, but not by that much. So I thought I'd investigate.' The chartered civil engineer, with experience of road and bridge design, analysed the signage along that stretch of road. He's concluded that it is 'not fit for purpose' – and argues that motorists should be given better warnings that they are about to enter a 30mph area. It is a view that others who have been caught by that speed camera share – and there are plenty of them. In fact, the little yellow box mounted on a pole is so prolific that it is said to be the 'most lucrative' speed camera in the country, according to a Channel 5 documentary due to be broadcast tonight at 8pm. Speed Cameras: Are They Out to Get You? says that one camera caught 17,498 speeding offences in nine months from when it was installed in August 2023 – at an average rate of 72 per day and potentially costing motorists more than £1.6 million. So, what, you might well ask, is going on with this camera in a Nottinghamshire market town to make it ranked the most prolific – and some claim the sneakiest – in the country? And what happens to all the money it generates? When we visit Sutton-in-Ashfield to meet Tate, from nearby Chesterfield, Derbyshire, he explains how, as you approach the camera from junction 28 of the M1, first there is a 70mph speed limit that suddenly turns to 50mph – with an average-speed camera overhead – then it goes to 30mph about 100 yards from the crossroads where the camera is. There is a 30mph sign as you approach on the dual carriageway and a smaller sign warning of the camera ahead and reminding you it's 30mph. But, Tate says: 'When I started looking into the signage, it became apparent that if there's a high-sided vehicle on the inside lane, there's no way you can see the 30mph sign. There is nothing on the road itself to say it's 30mph. I think there should be. It's too easy to think you're still in the 50mph zone.' Norman Tate | From Speed Cameras: Are They Out to Get You?, courtesy of Lion Television (When we stopped by at a busy 4pm, motorists appeared to be driving carefully, but it was hard to tell whether it was carefully enough – the camera uses infra-red light technology, which means it doesn't flash.) The figures in the documentary come from a survey by Legal Expert, a personal injury, compensation and accident claim solicitor company. To obtain them, the firm made a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to all 43 police forces in England and Wales asking for the number of speeding fines issued in the 12 months to April 5 2024, and the top 20 spots where drivers have been caught speeding. Only 23 replied. If the 17,498 figure for the camera on the A38 in Sutton-in-Ashfield is annualised, it would be 23,331, putting it ahead of the second-placed speed camera, which was on the M25 between junctions 7 and 16 in Surrey (21,989 offences, at a daily average of 60). With speeding offences resulting in a £100 fine and three points on your licence (if they result in a fixed penalty notice and are not contested), that would mean that £2,333,100 worth of fines would have been threatened in a year, using the annualised figure for the A38 camera. A separate FOI request, not mentioned in the documentary, about the A38 speed camera was later made to Nottinghamshire Police by Gary Eyre, a heating engineer from Huthwaite, near Sutton-in-Ashfield. He found the reply 'flabbergasting': it said 41,675 motorists were punished for travelling in excess of the 30mph limit in the camera's first 20 months. 'I go into about 10 houses every day and everybody knows someone who's been done,' he said, explaining what prompted him to make the FOI request. That means at least £4.1 million worth of fines will have been threatened during that period. Nottinghamshire Police has stressed to The Telegraph that 47 per cent of those offences were resolved with speed awareness courses as an alternative to prosecution, so no fines will have been paid for those. 'I don't disagree with having speed cameras,' Tate says, 'and this one is there doing the job it should be doing and is designed to do – if the signage was correct. This is a very dangerous junction and the camera is trying to save people's lives. But if there's 23,000 people a year going through there at the wrong speed, there's something wrong – and that's the signage.' His attempts to argue his case saw him locked in what he called a 'David and Goliath' battle with the authorities. In the end, after first electing to go to trial, he pleaded guilty to his speeding offence, committed at 11.09am on February 1 last year. He did not contest the 45mph recorded by the camera but argued that the advance warning signs from the 50mph to the 30mph zone are 'inadequate' and called for a review of those signs. Magistrates gave him four points, fined him £360, and ordered him to pay a surcharge to victim services of £144 and £150 costs to the Crown Prosecution Service. In the documentary, Tate is featured with his friend Brian Staples, 76, a retired auto electrician from Papplewick, Nottinghamshire, who runs a classic car club. Staples is more dubious of the camera's intent, telling the documentary: 'They're taking those motorists to court and making them look as if they're bad drivers, and they're not. Friends that I know have been caught there are in their 80s – they're not speeding, they've just been caught out.' Staples also claims that some speed cameras are there just to collect money rather than to slow people down. Patrica Harvey, 68, a retired office accounts manager from Pinxton, Derbyshire, told The Telegraph that she has been caught speeding by the Sutton-in-Ashfield camera twice in a year, the second time around a fortnight ago. Both times, she said her speed was in the mid-30s mph. 'I was specifically looking for the sign the second time but didn't see it,' she said. 'I'm really very cautious about my speed. But one minute you're in 50mph, then it's 30mph. There's not enough signs telling you what's happening.' Judy Gascoigne, 66, a PA from Matlock, Derbyshire, was warned by a passenger in her car of the camera ahead and was trying to slow down when she was caught doing 36mph. 'I didn't see the signage,' she said. 'I did a speed awareness course and there were four or five others on it caught at the same camera.' Another motorist said: 'I got caught twice in the same week. When there's tree branches in the way and large vehicles, the signs are difficult to see.' From Speed Cameras: Are They Out to Get You?, courtesy of Lion Television The documentary also raises the question of what happens to the money from speed camera fines, making the point that it is common misconception that it goes to the council. In fact, it goes directly to central government, to the Treasury, and is used towards general spending rather than ring-fenced for specific areas. Motoring journalist and transport campaigner Quentin Willson told the documentary: 'If the public saw that the revenue raised from speeding fines made a visible difference, then perhaps the public would be more behind them.' It is an issue that West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster is campaigning on. He wants the money raised from speeding fines in his region to be spent on road safety schemes there. During a consultation in 2023, 93 per cent of the public agreed that money raised from fixed penalty fines should stay in the region. So far, however, his calls – to both this and the previous government – have not resulted in a change of policy. One argument against allowing the income from speed cameras to be retained locally is that it might incentivise regions to install cameras to make money. Nottinghamshire Police said around 37,000 vehicles go through the junction where the Sutton-in-Ashfield camera is every day, so only a very small percentage are exceeding the speed limit. There had been at least one fatal collision and a number of serious injury collisions in the years before the camera was installed. But there have been no fatal or serious injury collisions since it was installed and the rate of offences have reduced to around 60 a day. The force also said work to cut back foliage to ensure all signage was visible was done before the camera went live, and the 'unusual step' was taken of putting out proactive communication to inform people of the new camera. Insp Simon Allen, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: 'While the 30mph limit around this junction is not set by the police, it is in place for a very good reason – including the very large number of children who use the pedestrian crossings to get to and from school each day. 'Like all safety cameras in the UK, this unit is in place to reduce speed and prevent road traffic collisions – not to catch people speeding.' A Department for Transport spokesman said: 'Fines from speeding offences help fund essential public services including health care, transport and policing in the West Midlands and across the country. 'While we keep the motoring offences and their penalties under review, we don't currently have any plans to change this system.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Wales Online
29-04-2025
- Wales Online
HMP Berwyn prisoners claim thousands for bunkbed mishaps and 'injuries by staff'
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Prisons can be dangerous places for inmates and not always for the reasons you might expect. Over the last five years, tens of thousands of pounds have been paid out at HMP Berwyn, Wrexham, in compensation for personal injuries such as animal bites and bunk bed mishaps. Compensation figures were released amid growing concerns for the safety of both staff and inmates, with Britain's overcrowded prisons hitting record levels last year. Latest prison population statistics show there are only just over 1,000 spaces left in men's prisons. Between 2020 and 2024, pay-outs worth more than £133,000 were settled at HMP Berwyn, Wrexham's Category C men's prison. A sizeable tranche was as a result of injuries caused by other prisoners (£48,918). A further £31,603 related to prisoner injuries caused by members of staff. But the biggest category was 'other personal injury', which could include asbestos, food contamination and bunk bed scrapes. At Berwyn, the largest prison in England and Wales with a capacity of 2,106 inmates, this amounted to £53,300 over the five years. Freedom of Information figures obtained by Legal Expert revealed that, across all of the UK's prisons, bunk beds resulted in the biggest personal injury claims, with £4.5m being paid to inmates since 2022. Next most costly were slips, trips and falls. At Berwyn, claims across all categories peaked in 2022 when £47,514.74 was paid to prisoners. Since then, annual settlements have amounted to £29,564 in 2023 and £32,124 last year. Join the North Wales Live Whatsapp community now According to Legal Expert's figures, Berwyn's staff-on-inmate claims were among the highest in UK prisons. Pay-outs in this category were bigger only at HMPs Pentonville, Nottingham, Liverpool, Leeds, Aylesbury, Highpoint and Highdown. (Image: Legal Expert) At two UK prisons, the compensation claims ran to millions. Topping the list was HMP Chelmsford (£5.57m over five years), largely due to substantial prisoner-on-prisoner pay-outs. Second was HMP Leicester (£3.21m over five years), nearly all of it relating to 'other personal injury' claims. In terms of the overall compensation rankings, the Wrexham prison was outside the top 10, with a total bill of £133,821. Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox (Image: Legal Expert) Reform of the prison system has been promised but until this happens, compensation pay-outs to prisoners are likely to continue, said Legal Expert solicitor Lucy Parker. In the last five years the UK bill came to an eye-watering £9.8m. She added: 'Prisoners, like anyone else, have a right to their safety while incarcerated. We have seen many different cases over the years of prisoners suffering injuries during their incarceration, from accidents in workshops and kitchens to incidents with staff. 'When they are injured due to negligence, whether it's at the hands of an officer, a slip and fall, or inadequate safety measures, they have the right to seek compensation and to get legal advice on their case.' By the end of last year, the prison population in England and Wales was more than 85,000, having increased by more than 40,000 since 1993. A review of the justice system is being led by former justice secretary David Gauke, who published an interim report in February warning prisons were overcrowded and "on the brink of collapse". A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: "Our jails are overcrowded, have been neglected for too long, and our hardworking staff are over-stretched. By addressing this crisis, we can begin the work of improving prison conditions to reduce the need for compensation claims and ensure taxpayer money is spent more effectively. 'The Government is investing in prison maintenance and security, and prisoners who are violent towards staff or other prisoners will face the full consequences of their actions.' Find crime figures for your area
North Wales Live
29-04-2025
- North Wales Live
HMP Berwyn prisoners claim thousands for bunkbed mishaps and 'injuries by staff'
Prisons can be dangerous places for inmates and not always for the reasons you might expect. Over the last five years, tens of thousands of pounds have been paid out at HMP Berwyn, Wrexham, in compensation for personal injuries such as animal bites and bunk bed mishaps. Compensation figures were released amid growing concerns for the safety of both staff and inmates, with Britain's overcrowded prisons hitting record levels last year. Latest prison population statistics show there are only just over 1,000 spaces left in men's prisons. Between 2020 and 2024, pay-outs worth more than £133,000 were settled at HMP Berwyn, Wrexham's Category C men's prison. A sizeable tranche was as a result of injuries caused by other prisoners (£48,918). A further £31,603 related to prisoner injuries caused by members of staff. But the biggest category was 'other personal injury', which could include asbestos, food contamination and bunk bed scrapes. At Berwyn, the largest prison in England and Wales with a capacity of 2,106 inmates, this amounted to £53,300 over the five years. Freedom of Information figures obtained by Legal Expert revealed that, across all of the UK's prisons, bunk beds resulted in the biggest personal injury claims, with £4.5m being paid to inmates since 2022. Next most costly were slips, trips and falls. At Berwyn, claims across all categories peaked in 2022 when £47,514.74 was paid to prisoners. Since then, annual settlements have amounted to £29,564 in 2023 and £32,124 last year. Join the North Wales Live Whatsapp community now According to Legal Expert's figures, Berwyn's staff-on-inmate claims were among the highest in UK prisons. Pay-outs in this category were bigger only at HMPs Pentonville, Nottingham, Liverpool, Leeds, Aylesbury, Highpoint and Highdown. At two UK prisons, the compensation claims ran to millions. Topping the list was HMP Chelmsford (£5.57m over five years), largely due to substantial prisoner-on-prisoner pay-outs. Second was HMP Leicester (£3.21m over five years), nearly all of it relating to 'other personal injury' claims. In terms of the overall compensation rankings, the Wrexham prison was outside the top 10, with a total bill of £133,821. Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox Reform of the prison system has been promised but until this happens, compensation pay-outs to prisoners are likely to continue, said Legal Expert solicitor Lucy Parker. In the last five years the UK bill came to an eye-watering £9.8m. She added: 'Prisoners, like anyone else, have a right to their safety while incarcerated. We have seen many different cases over the years of prisoners suffering injuries during their incarceration, from accidents in workshops and kitchens to incidents with staff. 'When they are injured due to negligence, whether it's at the hands of an officer, a slip and fall, or inadequate safety measures, they have the right to seek compensation and to get legal advice on their case.' By the end of last year, the prison population in England and Wales was more than 85,000, having increased by more than 40,000 since 1993. A review of the justice system is being led by former justice secretary David Gauke, who published an interim report in February warning prisons were overcrowded and "on the brink of collapse". A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: "Our jails are overcrowded, have been neglected for too long, and our hardworking staff are over-stretched. By addressing this crisis, we can begin the work of improving prison conditions to reduce the need for compensation claims and ensure taxpayer money is spent more effectively. 'The Government is investing in prison maintenance and security, and prisoners who are violent towards staff or other prisoners will face the full consequences of their actions.'
Yahoo
22-02-2025
- Yahoo
Over 7,000 people arrested for drink-driving in West Yorkshire in last three years
MORE than 7,000 people have been arrested for drink-driving in West Yorkshire in the last three years, new figures show. According to data obtained by law firm Legal Expert via Freedom of Information (FOI) Act requests, West Yorkshire Police made a total of 7,254 arrests for drink-driving between December 2021 and November 2024, with 5,685 charges made. It is the fourth highest number of arrests recorded out of all UK police forces since 2021, coming behind only London, Northern Ireland and the West Midlands. A West Yorkshire Police chief described the offence as "absolutely unacceptable" - and said the force takes it "very seriously". West Yorkshire Police also revealed the most prolific areas for drink-driving in the last year in the FOI response. Leeds came out on top, with 651 arrests made in 2023-24. It was followed by Bradford, where 413 arrests were made. A further 377 arrests were made in Kirklees, 359 in Wakefield and 216 in Calderdale. The most common age group to be arrested for drink-driving in West Yorkshire in the last year was those aged between 18 and 34, accounting for 43 per cent of the figures, closely followed by 35 to 51-year-olds, making up 42 per cent. Eighty per cent of people arrested for drink-driving in West Yorkshire last year were male. Legal Expert's road traffic accident specialist, Tracy Chick, said: "Drink-driving is such an avoidable offence and there is no excuse for drinking and getting behind the wheel." Chief Inspector James Farrar, head of the roads policing unit at West Yorkshire Police, said: "Driving while under the influence of drink and drugs is absolutely unacceptable. "It is a cause of some of the very serious collisions we see on our roads which often lead to people being killed or seriously injured. "West Yorkshire Police takes drink and drug-driving very seriously - and we conduct regular road safety operations all year round to catch those committing driving offences, including drink and drug-driving. "We do, of course, also continue to carry out our specialist Operation Limit drink and drug-drive campaign every Christmas and New Year. "The Christmas 2024 Operation Limit, which recently concluded, resulted in 186 suspected drink-drive arrests, and 93 for suspected drug-driving. "We will prosecute in all cases where persons are found to be over the drink-drive limit and also continue to support our Vision Zero partnership strategy in West Yorkshire."
