FIGURES released by North Yorkshire Police have shown 729 speeding tickets were handed out by officers last month in the county.

The figures showed 365 of the tickets were handed out during a week-long study by the European Traffic Police Network TISPOL, which covered 23 European countries.

Inspector Dave Brown, of North Yorkshire Police’s strategic roads policing unit, said: “The operation sends a clear message that not only the UK, but Europe as a whole is united in the common goal of saving lives on our roads and making them safe for everyone.

“It’s staggering that despite widespread publicity of the dangers of speeding, people continue to break the law and put lives in danger.”

The TISPOL research showed 8,465 speeding tickets had been given to UK drivers in the same seven-day period.

The North Yorkshire Police figures for April included 310 speeding tickets handed out to drivers exceeding the speed limit on a 30mph road, 196 drivers caught exceeding the 70mph speed limit on a dual carriageway, and 30 lorry drivers exceeding the speed limit.

The figures come weeks after proposals by North Yorkshire County Council to install speed cameras at 28 locations on roads in York and North Yorkshire as part of a 12-month trial scheme.

The council said the cost of the pilot scheme would be £250,000, which would come from the Department of Transport’s Road Safety Grant. City of York Council and North Yorkshire Police supported the suggestion, and claimed cameras installed at speeding and accident hotspots could save the taxpayer up to £10.35 million.