There has been an increase in the number of people caught speeding excessively in Kent, which is thought could be partly linked to the ongoing Covid-19 lockdown.

Instances where drivers whose speed was high enough to end up in court has nearly doubled, from 129 offences in March 2019 to 252 in March 2020.

Watch the chief constable explain the increase

Responding to the possibility that lockdown is the cause of the increase, Alan Pughsley, Chief Constable of Kent Police, said: "It might be one of the reasons, we don't know yet, but we have got a small increase in high-end, fast driving, erratic driving that we'll deal with.

"Some of that may be because the roads are quieter.

"If people do think the roads are quieter and they can drive erratically and too quickly, my officers are out there and they will stop them, deal with them and prosecute them."

Mr Pughsley also said there have been several instances of drivers hitting speeds of more than 100 mph.

He added: "They had been stopped, they've been prosecuted, and I've got a dedicated team who are out there patrolling every day of the week."

The increase in excessive speeding offences comes as Kent Police reveal a significant reduction in overall speeding offences across the county in March 2020 compared to March the previous year.

Last month a total of 3,817 speeding offences were recorded, compared to 6,473 in March 2019, a decrease of 41%.

Chief Insp Rhiannan Pepper of Kent Police’s roads policing unit said: "Excess speed is one of the four main causes of collisions in which people are killed or seriously injured on Kent’s roads, along with driving while under the influence of drink or drugs, not wearing a seatbelt, and using a phone at the wheel.

"Anyone who thinks they are free to break the speed limit when the roads are quiet is very much mistaken, and can rest assured that officers from the roads policing unit are still out patrolling as usual and continuing to take action against those who break the law.

Responding to the sharp rise in speeding offences that warranted a court appearance, she added: "It is possible that both of these trends can be attributed to there being less vehicles on the road than normal due to changes linked to Covid-19, although it is important to note that the vast majority of road users are continuing to drive responsibly and within the speed limit."

For the full report, tune into Kent Tonight live on KMTV this evening at 5:30 - watch on Freeview 107 and Virgin 159, or click here.

For the latest coronavirus news and advice, click here.

Read more: All the latest news from Kent