Police in Hertfordshire ticketed just over 100 motorists caught speeding when the coronavirus lockdown started, new figures show.

Roads became a lot quieter when the lockdown was brought into effect at the end of March, with people having only been allowed outside for very limited reasons until the restrictions started to ease from May.

But officers in Hertfordshire enforced 119 speeding offences during April, according to data obtained by the PA news agency through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request.

In some cases motorists in the county had been caught travelling at speeds up to three times higher than the legal limit during the month.

At a meeting of the cabinet on Monday, April 20, at Hertfordshire County Council, it was reported that there had been an increase in vehicle speeds on the county's road network, associated with the reduction in traffic.

In one instance a motorist in Great Cambridge Road (A10), in Cheshunt, was recorded travelling at 124mph in a 40mph zone.

On the A41, which passes through Watford, Elstree, and Hemel Hempstead, motorists were caught travelling at 102mph and 112 mph – more than 30mph above the 70mph speed limit.

But according to the data FOI data, the number of drivers speeding in Hertfordshire had dropped by 98 per cent on the same month the year before, with 5,619 offences having been recorded.

At the end of May officers took part in a two week speeding campaign in the county to clamp down on the number of drivers flouting speed limits.

Chief Inspector Jon Roche, Head of the BCH Roads Policing Unit, said: “As people return to work and roads get busier it is vital that everyone takes extra care when driving.

“One of the best and easiest ways to do this is to reduce your speed.

"This is because the faster you drive, the less time you have to react to changing circumstances.

"Please drive carefully, be mindful of others and get to your destinations safely.”

He added: “Driving within speed limits can give motorists precious extra time to look for cyclists and pedestrians.

“A few seconds might not seem much but it can be enough to prevent a collision. And if you do collide with someone, the slower your speed, the less likely you are to kill or seriously injure them or yourself.”