NEARLY one million motorists have been caught speeding by a camera on the A46 since it was installed in February.

The camera in Bath Road, Rodborough, uses automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) to clock a vehicle’s speed, number plate, time and date.

So far it has recorded 908,323 vehicles travelling over the 30mph speed limit, an average of 23,207 drivers every week, equating to 3,315 every day and 138 every hour.

Charles Pedrick, chairman of the Rodborough Road Safety Working Group which organised the scheme in partnership with Gloucestershire’s Police and Crime Commissioner, called the figures 'truly shocking.'

"The Rodborough ANPR camera system shows us that since it was put up in February this year, that some drivers are speeding regularly on a daily basis, time and time again, often hundreds of times since it was installed, at speeds that we all know will kill or seriously injure a pedestrian or cyclist if they were hit," he said.

"This has got to stop, we know that this is happening, we can prove it is happening and a solution must be found.

"We have got to send a clear message to any driver that has a driving licence that it is a privilege, not a right to drive and with that privilege comes responsibility and if these drivers endanger our families, in our communities, then there must be consequences for their actions."

Persistent speeders are sent a warning letter under the scheme and in the worst cases, a doorstep visit from the police.

If drivers had been fined, as is the case with conventional speed cameras, motorists would have paid out millions of pounds in fines.

A second ANPR camera is being planned in Stroud after Rodborough parish councillors voted unanimously in favour of the scheme.

Mr Pedrick, a father-of-three and Rodborough parish councillor for Butterow West, is calling for a tougher stance on speeding drivers across the country.

He points to the example of the Romanian government, which in February of last year introduced new and tougher laws.

Now any driver caught speeding between 32 and 37mph is fined fined between 162 – 360 euros (£137 - £304) and loses their licence for 90 days.

If they exceed 37mph, the fine increases to 900 euros (£760) and they have their licence taken away for 180 days.

"We have to finally act and send a clear message that we will not tolerate this any longer, if Romania can do it, so can Great Britain," added Mr Pedrick.