'Aliens made me speed'

Aliens, a vibrating surfboard and a desperate need for the toilet were all excuses offered by speeding motorists desperate to avoid three points on their licence, a speed camera organisation said today.

Staff at the Northumbria Safety Camera Partnership, responsible for many fixed speed cameras in the North East, often receive letters from drivers hoping to avoid the penalties.

Manager Ray King said: "Some drivers seem to think that if they tell a good enough story, then they will get off, which unfortunately rarely works.

"But if there are genuine mitigating reasons, there is always the option of putting their case to a magistrate.

"It is quite amazing the lengths some drivers will go to to avoid £60 and three points, when really the alternative is extremely simple - keeping within the speed limit."

Everything from the wind behind the car to jets overhead and dying hamsters have been blamed by motorists, Mr King said.

"This is a light-hearted look at excuses for speeding, but it is a serious issue - we'd rather not be getting any letters at all because no one is breaking the speed limit and no one is receiving a ticket," he said.