A motorist was clocked at almost 100mph – double the speed limit – at the site of a new average speed camera.

As revealed in the Leader last month, almost 800 drivers have been snared by an average speed camera on the A548 Sealand Road since its installation in April.

The £130,000 kit was installed by Flintshire Council in partnership with road safety organisation GoSafe, who have disclosed that one driver was caught at 99mph, almost double the 50mph limit during an assessment period.

A spokesman for GoSafe said: “GoSafe was pleased to work in partnership with Flintshire Council to be able to introduce an average speed camera scheme on the A548 Sealand Road in Flintshire.

“Average speed cameras are an effective way to control the flow of traffic across a larger stretch of road, and have an excellent record for reducing speed and collisions where they are installed.

“On this section of the A548 there has been a number of collisions along with evidence of excess speed and highest speed of 99mph within the 50mph limit detected during the assessment period.”

The camera was installed on the busy road following a decade-long battle for increased road safety measures.

In a bid to curb the number of accidents on the stretch of road, the system operates over a four-kilometre stretch of the A548, from the existing
50mph speed limit east of Manor Road to the county boundary with Cheshire – which attracts an average of 16,000 vehicles a day.

The scheme was the first of its kind to be installed in North Wales.

The spokesman added: “The fact that this average speed scheme has caught 796 vehicles since its installation in April 2017 to date shows that the majority of the public are now complying with the speed limit at this location.

“The camera was installed to ensure compliance with the speed limit in order to reduce collisions, and as such this should be considered a successful speed camera scheme.

“GoSafe will continue to work with partners to assess the collision reduction impact at this location.”

Figures revealed to the Leader by North Wales Police identified that of the 796 drivers caught speeding, 158 have received a fixed penalty of £100 fine and three points on their licence.

A further 152 drivers have undergone a speed awareness course while 34 have been processed for court hearings.

Of the total caught, 32 were unable to be identified while 13 were discontinued.

Officers still have 407 cases yet to be processed.

The spokesman added that the camera had been situated at the location “in order to reduce collisions and casualties and appeal to the motoring public to respect the speed limits on Welsh roads at all times.

“Cameras are deployed to contribute to casualty reduction and make communities safer, not to generate income.”