The new speeding fines will see more drivers refuse to pay and put extra pressure on the police and courts, officers have warned.

While police and road safety groups welcomed the fact that motorist who travel at excessively dangerous speeds will now face fines of up to 175 per cent of their weekly income, they warned that without police enforcement they are almost meaningless.

The tighter penalties come against a backdrop of falling police budgets and a reduction of the number of roads policing officers by around 25 per cent in recent years.