Meet the busiest speed cameras in Devon & Cornwall
BBCMore than 237,000 people were reported for speeding on the roads of Devon and Cornwall in 2025, which marks a steep rise.
A Freedom of Information (FoI) request by the BBC revealed the number of Notices of Intended Prosecution issued by the police trebled between 2020 and 2025.
The most prolific speed camera in the force area is on the A383 Ashburton Road in Newton Abbot, Devon – it caught 10,134 motorists last year.
In Cornwall 9,604 drivers were reported for exceeding the speed limit travelling westbound on the A38 at Landrake.
The head of road safety for Devon & Cornwall Police Adrian Leisk said: "If you don't want to get caught, don't speed."
According to the FoI data obtained by the BBC, 78,624 drivers received a Notice of Intended Prosecution (NIP) from Devon & Cornwall Police in 2020.
By 2025 that number had surged to 237,191.
Drivers are given the option of contesting the notice in court or admitting the offence by letter, which means incurring penalty points and a fine, or completing a speed awareness course.
Leisk said: "Speed is one of the 'Fatal Five' causes of road traffic collisions.
"Travelling too fast gives drivers less time to react if something happens and significantly increases the chance of death or serious injury in the event of a collision.
"Most cameras are installed at collision hotspots and after direct appeals from the communities affected – and they are extremely effective at reducing overall speeds."
The A383 Ashburton Road in Newton Abbot is a suburban road in south Devon, with a wide pavement on one side and early cherry blossom.
The speed camera that captured 10,134 motorists last year is a small yellow box with two sensors attached to a lamp post.
Local people said they were aware of its presence.
Wayne Robinson said he was caught doing a "little bit" over the limit.
He said: "Hands up - if you're caught, you're caught - but generally I do think speed cameras are a good thing, especially when you've got kids playing around here."
Local plumber Dale Cleave said there were "mixed opinions on it, definitely".
"It's very tricky, it's obviously doing its job and slowing people down but at the same time, a couple of miles an hour over the speed limit, is that really breaking the law?
"I wonder where the money is going from it," he added.
At a community lunch in the Geffery Memorial Hall in Landrake, Cornwall, people shared their opinions on the speed camera that led to 9,604 motorists receiving an NIP letter in 2025.
Cora Alford, who has lived in the village all her life, said: "There's been six people killed on this road, one of them was my best friend and that was a terrible time.
"Although I found it a bit confusing at first, I don't disagree with speed cameras because I'm a steady driver."
Landrake resident Simon Boosey drives a breakdown recovery truck, and said he was caught driving at 33mph in the new 30mph zone and has since completed a speed awareness course.
He said: "I see the results of road collisions all the time so it's a good thing, even though I actually got caught by the camera myself, I'm glad it's there.
"I know people find them frustrating but I have a child and being hit at 50mph would be a much worse outcome."
Michael Byrne is a retired police detective chief inspector who lives in the nearby village of Tideford, which also has a new 30mph fixed speed camera.
He said: "It's causing problems because to come out of the village you have to accelerate quickly to merge with the traffic and before you know it with modern cars, you can be doing more than 30mph.
"A resident near me has already had two tickets for doing three miles per hour over the limit - it's not fair and they need a more common sense approach to enforcement."
'Don't speed'
The head of road safety for Devon & Cornwall Police Adrian Leisk was rejected any suggestion speed cameras were there to raise revenue.
"All fines issued for speeding offences go directly to central Government in Westminster," Leisk said.
"Where speed awareness courses are offered, a percentage of the course cost is recovered and comes back to the Vision Zero South West road safety partnership where it can only be spent on road safety projects.
"This includes fantastic schemes such as young pedestrian training for thousands of primary school children, victim services for those who have lost loved ones in collisions, and groundbreaking medical research conducted by IMPACT: The Centre for Post-Collision Research, Innovation and Translation.
"We make no apology for enforcing speed laws on our roads which help keep people safe.
"If you don't want to get caught, don't speed."
