£7million shortfall in fines from foreign drivers in past four years

FOREIGN speeders have escaped from more than £7million of fines since 2012, according to latest police statistics.

More than 7,000 foreigners across the UK have been apprehended for offences such as speeding, using mobile phones behind the wheel and running red lights, but have subsequently escaped penalty because the authorities have failed to track them down.

Figures revealed by the Daily Mail show £7,293,480 has been lost from owners of foreign-registered vehicles who should have paid fines since 2012. Thames Valley was one of the worst forces for catching up with offenders, with 9,234 unpaid fines from foreigners over the past four years. Derbyshire Police failed to track down 6,738 drivers, while Essex Police could not find 5,005. Foreign drivers escape punishment as their vehicles can’t be traced if registered to an address outside of the UK.

An Eu-wide enforcement policy was due to come into force in 2017 to help officers track speeders across the continent and chase up fines, but this now looks uncertain after the Brexit vote.

A traffic cop has his say

“I ALWAYS try to submit forms associated with dealing with foreign drivers. But I’ve worked with cops who will avoid stopping cars if they believe it’ll be a foreign driver.

“If someone’s on holiday as opposed to a foreign driver living here, they may well be dealt with differently. For a minor offence I’d consider giving a holidaymaker a warning and sending them on their way. For more serious offences that wouldn’t be the case. They’d be dealt with equally.

“With regards to paying of fines, we can’t issue tickets to someone unless they have an address in the UK. If they fail to pay fines that’s for the courts to chase up. But yes, I think there is much more we should be doing to tackle foreign drivers.”