A SET of average speed cameras in Dorset caught an average of 20 drivers a day breaking the 50mph limit.

The cameras on the A338 Spur Road southbound from Blackwater to Cooper Dean clocked 7,597 speeding vehicles in the 12 months to the end of September 2022.

This came despite the cameras being out of action until November 16, 2021, as they were not operational for a period of 49 weeks.

The top speed recorded by the Spur Road cameras was 98mph on the northbound carriageway.

In west Dorset the camera that recorded the most offences was the  A35 westbound camera at Chideock.

It recorded 1,301 offences contravening the 30mph limit.

The top speed recorded was 63mph.

At the other end of the scale, one Dorset camera caught just 47 motorists in the 12-month period. This was on the A348 Ringwood Road, West Howe, where the camera enforces a 30mph limit.

Brian Austin, Dorset Road Safe operations manager at Dorset Police, said: “There is no excuse for driving in excess of the speed limit. You put not only yourself in danger, but also other innocent road users.

“The risk of a road traffic collision occurring increases when motorists drive at excess speed and the consequences of any collision are likely to be more significant if the speeds involved are higher.

“We recognise that there are specific areas of the county where collisions are more likely to occur. As a result, we proactively target these areas with either our fixed camera enforcement equipment or mobile cameras to enforce the law.

“Our safety camera team works on a four-weekly rota of deployment based on collisions and concerns or complaints from the public. We are also grateful for the assistance we receive from hundreds of Community Speed Watch volunteers who support us in keeping Dorset’s roads safe.

“Speed enforcement has been found to encourage drivers to slow down, resulting in a reduction in the number of collisions in an area or a reduction in the severity of a collision.

“We would like to make a plea to all motorists to please drive responsibly and within the speed limit to make Dorset’s roads safer.”

The 10 Dorset speed camera locations with the most offences from October 1, 2021, to September 30, 2022

1) A338 Blackwater to Cooper Dean Southbound

  • Offences: 7,597
  • Speed limit: 50mph
  • Top speed recorded: 95mph

2) A338 Cooper Dean to Blackwater Northbound

  • Offences: 6,229
  • Speed limit: 50mph
  • Top speed recorded: 98mph

3) A338 Wessex Way, Dean Park, Bournemouth, Westbound

  • Offences: 4,066
  • Speed limit: 40mph
  • Top speed recorded: 78mph

4) A338 Wessex Way, Dean Park, Bournemouth

  • Offences: 1,518
  • Speed limit: 40mph
  • Top speed recorded: 79mph

5) Wareham Road, Corfe Mullen

  • Offences: 1,371
  • Speed limit: 30mph
  • Top speed recorded: 87mph

6) A35 Chideock Westbound

  • Offences: 1,301
  • Speed limit: 30mph
  • Top speed recorded: 63mph

7) A338 Blackwater On-slip to Cooper Dean Southbound

  • Offences: 1,101
  • Speed limit: 50mph
  • Top speed recorded: 80mph

8) A347 Wimborne Road, Bournemouth

  • Offences: 869
  • Speed limit: 30mph
  • Top speed recorded: 60mph

9) A351 Sandford Road, Sandford

  • Offences: 803
  • Speed limit: 30mph
  • Top speed recorded: 48mph

10) Hurn Road, Christchurch

  • Offences: 559
  • Speed limit: 30mph
  • Top speed recorded: 75mph

The 10 Dorset speed camera locations with the fewest offences from October 1, 2021, to September 30, 2022

1) A348 Ringwood Road, West Howe, Bournemouth

  • Offences: 47
  • Speed limit: 40mph
  • Top speed recorded: 57mph

2) B3068 Blandford Road, Hamworthy, Poole

  • Offences: 99
  • Speed limit: 30mph
  • Top speed recorded: 70mph

3) Queen’s Park Avenue, Bournemouth

  • Offences: 100
  • Speed limit: 30mph
  • Top speed recorded: 44mph

4) A35 Barrack Road, Christchurch

  • Offences: 100
  • Speed limit: 30mph
  • Top speed recorded: 59mph

5) A341 Wimborne Road, Kinson, Bournemouth

  • Offences: 109
  • Speed limit: 30mph
  • Top speed recorded: 49mph

6) A35 Chideock Eastbound

  • Offences: 152
  • Speed limit: 30mph
  • Top speed recorded: 58mph

7) A35 Christchurch Road, Bournemouth

  • Offences: 161
  • Speed limit: 30mph
  • Top speed recorded: 48mph

8) Herbert Avenue, Poole

  • Offences: 245
  • Speed limit: 30mph
  • Top speed recorded: 53mph

9) A347 Talbot Avenue, Bournemouth

  • Offences: 281
  • Speed limit: 30mph
  • Top speed recorded: 78mph

10) A347 New Road, Ensbury, Bournemouth

  • Offences: 293
  • Speed limit: 30mph
  • Top speed recorded: 48mph