M6 speeding motorist clocked hitting 135mph

That was the fastest speed clocked by West Midlands Police in 2018.

The driver was travelling in a Mercedes along the M6 southbound, when they were snared by police travelling almost twice the speed limit, which is 70mph.

They were later arrested by officers before being prosecuted for speeding at court.

West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson described the offence as 'appalling' and warned about the consequences of speeding.

He said: “The faster people are travelling, the more likely they are to cause a crash.

“It is absolutely right that they were prosecuted. The overwhelming majority of motorists in the West Midlands will be appalled at someone driving at such dangerous speeds.

“We take speeding very seriously, that is why where the councils invest in safety cameras, the police will enforce them.

"Speed limits are there for a reason, it is important that they are obeyed.”

The shock figure was revealed following a Freedom of Information request, made by the Express & Star, to West Midlands Police.

But thousands of West Midlands motorists are caught flouting the speed limit each year.

A recent investigation by the Express & Star found that 4,100 drivers broke the 30mph speed limit through M5 roadworks over a two year period, up until February of this year,

The 4,141 motorists were caught breaking speed limit along the motorway section between Junction 1, for West Bromwich, and Junction 2, for Oldbury.

Last year, this newspaper revealed that 6,043 motorists had been caught by speed cameras over a 12 month period - with Sandwell being the worst hit borough.

And another Freedom of Information request found that 12,700 motorists were caught speeding across the West Midlands during a 12 month period.

A total of 88 drivers were caught driving faster than 91mph in a 70mph zone in 2016, figures showed.

This was a rise of 1,393 speeding offences from the previous year.