West Mercia Police catches 95,000 drivers speeding in the last year

In the 12 months leading up to November, 94,726 drivers were caught speeding in the West Mercia Police force area, down more than 10,000 from the previous year.

And it is a drop of more than 20,000 from 2014, where 115,104 drivers were caught going over the speed limit.

Workers at the Safer Roads Partnership said it my be due to the removal of a number of roadworks and speed restrictions on motorways across the force area, which covers Shropshire, Worcestershire and Herefordshire.

It is likely to have had an impact in Telford, where a total of 3,726 motorists were handed £100 fines since the speed limit went to 50mph between junctions five at Telford Town Centre and seven at Wellington due to M54 roadworks in 2014.

Further speed limit restrictions were in place between junction 5 for Telford and junction 3 for Albrighton until Summer 2015.

A spokesman for the Safer Roads Partnership, said: "One of the reasons could possibly be the removal of speed enforcement from motorways.

"But it could be any number of things.

"People are getting more used to the average speed cameras and you see less and less people slamming on their breaks when they come up to them."

It comes as it was revealed that North Wales Police had got more than £1m a year from speeding awareness courses within its force area, which borders Shropshire

a freedom of information request revealed that, in one year, between 2015 and 2016, 34,335 motorists caught speeding were offered the alternative to go on a course and of those 29,036 took up the offer.

The Wrexham area was revealed to have the top two positions for speeding tickets in the North Wales.

In February it was revealed that drivers reaching speeds of up to 108mph were caught by cameras on roads in Shropshire in the previous year.

The three highest speeds recorded by cameras in the West Mercia Police area – which also covers Telford and Wrekin, Herefordshire and Worcestershire – were all in Shropshire, new figures have revealed.

The highest saw one driver hit 108mph along the A5 from West Felton towards Oswestry where the speed limit is 60mph.

Cameras caught another motorist travelling at the same speed on the A41 from Bletchley, near Market Drayton, towards Whitchurch.

A second driver was caught doing 107mph on the same stretch. The dual carriageway has limit of 70mph – but drivers are advised to drive no faster than 50mph around the sharp bends in the area.