Driver caught doing 157mph on A46 in Lincolnshire

A man has been banned from driving after being caught travelling at 157mph on a dual carriageway.

Jason Barnard was speeding in his BMW 5 Series on the A46 in Lincolnshire when officers spotted him and checked his speed using a hand held device.

The 43-year-old, of Tudor Walk in Watford, admitted dangerous driving and was banned from driving for 15 months.

He was also fined £500 and ordered to pay costs adding up to £315.

Ch Insp Phil Vickers said the officers on patrol were "quite taken aback" when they realised how fast he was driving.

"It's certainly the fastest that we've seen in Lincolnshire, not one that we would want to repeat, and just highly, highly irresponsible," he said.

The fastest two drivers caught by speed cameras in England and Wales last year were both travelling at 146mph, according to figures compiled by the Institute of Advanced Motorists.

In 2013, a driver was caught on a speed camera travelling at 149mph.

Barnard pleaded guilty at Lincoln Magistrates Court.

He was caught speeding in the Swinderby area, where the A46 has a 70mph speed limit, at 21:57 BST on the evening of 28 April.

Ch Insp Vickers said even police officers who are trained to drive at high speed would not have driven at 157mph on this road.

"The A46 on that stretch has side turnings and obviously it's got the roundabout and slow moving traffic as well, and the stopping distances involved at that sort of speed are quite huge," he said.

"To drive at this speed is unbelievably dangerous and irresponsible."