Leader of Harborough council demands crackdown on 'maniac drivers' after motorist clocked at 132mph

Cllr Phil King hit the roof after the 32-year-old man from Leicester was nabbed by police hitting the staggering speed in his Volkswagen Golf on the A6 bypass between Great Glen and Kibworth on Sunday.

It’s the highest speed ever recorded by traffic officers on that stretch of road - which has become notorious for ‘boy racers’ smashing the 70mph limit.

A man of 20 from Market Harborough is also set to be hauled into court after he was trapped hitting 116mph in his white BMW on the A6 on Sunday.

Furious Cllr King, who leads Harborough District Council, told the Harborough Mail: “I am sick and fed up of maniac drivers racing along the A6 near Kibworth at bonkers speeds.

“It’s insane to drive at 132mph – almost double the legal 70mph speed limit.

“These maniacs are addicted to extreme speed – and they should have the book well and truly thrown at them.”

The blazing Conservative council chief insisted: “I am absolutely fuming – this whole issue has made me so angry.

“It’s so crazy that police tweeted that ‘numerous’ drivers were clocked hitting 100mph-plus.

“If these motorists want to race at mad, deadly speeds then they should head straight to a race track.

“It’s totally unacceptable to scream along at well over 100mph on a busy highway in the middle of our district.

“And I’m not going to put up with it.”

Cllr King, who lives in Kibworth Beauchamp, is now imploring Leicestershire County Council and Leicestershire Police to dramatically “up their game”.

“I have battled for years to make this stretch of the A6 made much safer – and it’s time something was done now.

“I want to see the county council, as the highways authority, put up speed cameras all along that route,” he said.

“These racers have to face a much more effective deterrent to stop them in their tracks.

“I’d also like to see the police doing more to increase and improve law enforcement along there to catch these offenders.

“I can make a noise as the leader of the district council.

“But it’s down to the county to act because our highways are their specific responsibility.

“I want to see the county working closely alongside the police to crack down on these maniacs and make our roads so much safer.

“The time for fine words is over – they have now got to take firm and urgent action.”

Cllr King accused speeders topping 100mph of “criminal negligence”.

“They are obviously putting their lives at risk.

“And they are putting the lives of all other road users – cyclists, other drivers and pedestrians crossing the road – in serious danger as well.

“They are posing a threat to all of us using the A6 – and sooner rather than later someone is going to get killed,” he declared.

“We are doing our best working with our fellow local agencies through the Community Safety Partnership to get steps taken now.

“The police have tweeted that these speeds were silly or disappointing.

“They are not disappointing speeds – they are criminal, they are insane!

“I want to see the offenders named and shamed.

“I want to know who they are – and to be able to look them straight in the eye.

“I also want to see fast track courts brought in to deal with speeders – slower speeds and faster justice.

“Culprits have got to be banned, lose their driving licences and face jail sentences in some cases.”

A Leicestershire Police spokesman said: “On Sunday June 14 officers from the Harborough and Wigston Neighbourhood Policing Area (NPA) carried out proactive speed-monitoring patrols on the A6 in Kibworth.

“This is part of ongoing work to tackle speeding on that stretch of road, following concerns raised by the community.

“The limit is 70mph.

“A 20-year-old man from Market Harborough and a 32-year-old man from Leicester were both stopped by officers after being recorded at driving in excess of 100mph.

“They were each issued with summons to appear at court.”

Sgt Pete Jelbert, based at Market Harborough police station, told the Mail: “The monitoring that took place over the weekend was part of our ongoing work to tackle speeding on the A6.

“It is an offence we take extremely seriously within our NPA and will always look to act on the concerns of our communities.”

Cllr Trevor Pendleton, Leicestershire County Council’s cabinet member for highways and transport, said: “The county council works in partnership with the police as part of the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Road Safety Partnership to reduce the number of people killed and injured on the road network.

“At present, the stretch of the A6 between Great Glen and Kibworth does not meet Government guidelines for a fixed camera. “That’s frustrating, but these are the rules under which we operate.

“Following a survey carried out in January 2020, we found that the majority of motorists using this route do comply with the existing speed limit.

“Unfortunately, as recent police reports show, there is a stubborn minority who disregard the speed limit, endangering the lives of road users.

“However, as Sunday has shown, the police are enforcing these restrictions and catching motorists who flout the law.”

Cllr Pendleton added: “We are continuing to trial average speed cameras at locations across the county, for example on the A6 Harborough Road in Oadby, to make the roads as safe as they can be.

“Any new camera sites will be put forward in compliance with police speed enforcement criteria.

“We are assessing the data from our average speed camera trials as to whether the scheme can be rolled out to other sites in Leicestershire.

“But this is dependent on HM Treasury changing their policy to allow fines to be retained locally to pay for the rollout of new speed cameras for those communities in Leicestershire who are clamouring for action.”