Drivers should be punished for going just 1mph over the speed limit, Britain’s roads policing chief has reportedly said.

Chief Constable Anthony Bangham is calling for an end to the 10 per cent “buffer” over the limit and said that speed awareness courses were being used too widely instead of penalty points.

Current guidance suggests police forces should only issue penalties for drivers caught at 10 per cent plus 2mph over the limit – 35mph in a 30mph zone, for example.

Mr Bangham, who is the National Police Chiefs Council lead on road policing, also added that drivers caught speeding should “not come whinging to us about it”.

According to the Daily Mail Mr Bangham said in a speech on Tuesday: "They should not come whinging to us about getting caught. If booked at 35 or 34 or 33 (in a 30mph zone) that cannot be unfair because they are breaking the law."

A total of 1,710 people were killed on the roads in the year up to June 2017, according to the latest statistics.

Mr Bangham went on to explain how he does not want drivers to be surprised when they get caught, they should be embarrassed and understand that the law is there for a reason.

Data released by 36 of the 45 police forces in the UK found that four have no fixed speed cameras at all and 13 have fewer than half actively catching speeding drivers.

Last year, the Press Association found that only about half of fixed speed cameras in the UK were actually on and catching offenders.