Speeding motorbike rider clocked at 160mph in Cambridgeshire Published duration 15 August 2016

image copyright BCH Road Policing image caption "This is not a racetrack", police said after stopping a motorcycle at more than twice the legal speed limit

A motorcyclist was caught travelling at 160mph (256km/h), police have said.

The BMW bike was seen going "horrendously fast" on the A47 at Thorney, Cambridgeshire, at about 17:20 BST on Sunday, police said.

A 56-year-old man from Peterborough has been reported to court, police said.

Officers from the county's road policing unit said the speed - more than twice the national limit - was "one of the highest" they had ever recorded.

PC Dave Black said the road "was not a racetrack".

The motorcyclist was spotted hurtling towards officers as they sat in a lay-by off the dual carriageway.

'Shocked'

"My immediate thought was, this is going very fast," PC Black said.

"But when I saw 160mph on the laser, I was shocked. He's certainly the fastest person I've ever stopped."

image copyright BCH Road Policing

The officers caught up with the rider about half-a-mile after he passed them.

"There is absolutely no reason for anyone to be travelling at such speeds on public roads," PC Black added.

"Not only was he putting himself at danger, but also the lives of other road users."