ALMOST 100,000 motorists have been clocked speeding in Earley this year.

The shock figures from Vehicle Activated Signs (VAS), which flash up telling drivers to slow down, show that 97,445 motorists have been recorded breaking the speed limit at seven sites across the town since January.

The statistics, obtained from Wokingham Borough Council, also show that speeding continues to blight Earley's roads, after The Chronicle revealed last November that 135,000 motorists were caught breaking the limit in 2012.

Lib Dem campaigner Clive Jones is calling on Wokingham Borough Council to do more to tackle the town's speeding problem.

He said: "I've asked the council to put permanent VAS signs on Meldreth Way and Cutbush Lane and they've said they're not going to do it. They argue that speeding is reduced for a week or two but then the signs aren't effective after that because people get used to them. But that's not true, because we have permanent ones elsewhere."

The mobile signs are put up by the council on the town's fastest roads, facing in both directions, and remain in operation for a week.

The figures show that the worst speeding spot is Beech Lane, where 35,041 motorists broke the 20mph speed limit over a seven-day period in March, closely followed by Pitts Lane, where 19,936 drivers were clocked speeding in January.

Clive said: "Speeding is still a big problem in Earley and these VAS signs do help tackle it. If I'm driving along Lower Earley Way and I see it flashing the car in front of me, then I always check my speed and I think the vast majority of people do too.

"You see people put their brakes on to slow down when they are in front of you so they do have an impact on drivers."