Britain's most terrifying speeding revealed: 128mph in a 30mph zone

The Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) has released figures demonstrating the criminal recklessness of some drivers who ignore speed limits — including one caught at almost 100mph over the limit on an urban street.

The unnamed driver was clocked by a speed camera piloting a Porsche at 128mph on the A22 London Road in the West Sussex town of East Grinstead. The single carriageway road is in many places lined with houses and shops, and has a cycle lane for some of its length.

The IAM used Freedom of Information requests to ask police forces for the highest recorded incidences of speed caught on safety cameras in 2014, including locations, speed limits and top speed in each case.

The worst offenders were unsurprisingly on motorways: Kent police reported two instances of drivers being recorded at 146mph on the M25.

East Grinstead's Porsche driver wasn't the only instance of someone travelling at over four times the limit in a built-up area. London’s worst speeder was recorded at 123mph on a 30mph road by the Metropolitan Police.

In the Square Mile, City of London Police reported a driver travelling at 86mph on Upper Thames Street, recorded by the speed camera at Stew Lane.

Sarah Sillars, IAM chief executive officer, said: “It is disheartening to say the least that some road users are showing such disregard for the safety of all other road users – pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists and other drivers.

“At speeds of 140mph an individual is travelling at nearly two-and-a-half miles a minute. At that speed it is simply impossible to react to anything that might happen in front of you.

“It is also impossible to handle corners, gradients, street furniture and junctions with any effectiveness. In short, all these individuals are playing with their own lives and others – they are all accidents waiting to happen and it requires a major shift in the attitudes of these people to think about safety.”

The IAM supports the use of safety camera systems at collision hot spots, on roads with a speed related crash record and at areas of proven risk, such as motorway road works.