Thousands fined for M6 roadworks speeding

More than 10,000 drivers have been fined for speeding through motorway roadworks.

A two-year project to refurbish Lowther Bridge, south of Penrith, got under way earlier this year with a 40mph (65km/h) limit put in place on a stretch of the M6 between junctions 39 and 40.

The Cumbria Road Safety Partnership said cameras tracking vehicles’ average speed had been operating since 12 June.

National Highways urged drivers to “kill your speed not one of our roadworkers”.

Programme manager Steve Mason said tens of thousands of people used the section of road each day “but for the sake of shaving an extra minute or two off their journey times some drivers are putting their own safety and the safety of our roadworkers at risk”.

He warned: “Our staff and contractors are working around the clock to complete this project as quickly as possible and they’re entitled to do that safely without the threat of being maimed or killed by someone recklessly speeding through the roadworks.”

The organisation said speeding drivers also risked crashing into heavy machinery or hidden hazards such as excavations behind safety barriers.

Anyone caught travelling too fast risks a £100 fine and three penalty points being put on their licence.

Extra warning signs have now been placed along the road with portable electronic notices flashing the speed limit.

Insp Jack Stabler, of Cumbria Police and chair of Cumbria’s Road Safety Partnership which includes local councils and the county’s fire brigade, acknowledged “speed cameras aren’t popular with some”.

But he added they “serve an extremely important purpose in allowing for the motorway to remain open whilst essential work is carried out”.

“Whilst the number of people fined may grab the headlines, the real concern is the number of people driving with a disregard for the lives of those who are in a vulnerable position, working alongside moving motorway traffic,” he said.

The £9m project is due to be completed in spring 2027.