Hundreds of thousands of British motorists will face fines for speeding in Europe under new rules coming in on Saturday.

For the first time, UK drivers who get caught by speed cameras going too fast on roads in countries including France, the Netherlands and Belgium will face fines of up to £640.

However, a quirk of the European law will create a "one-way" system in which Europeans caught speeding in the UK cannot be pursued by British police.

The move comes just as millions of British families are preparing to set off on summer holidays around Europe.

In just one year, an estimated half a million UK motorists will face prosecution for driving offences in France alone.

Under the new rules, EU governments can access vehicle ownership records held by other countries, which are then used to prosecute offences carried out in foreign-registered cars.