More than 2,000 lorries were caught flouting the speed limit during a crackdown by Hampshire police.

Officers took part in a Europe-wide week of action aimed at making roads safer by ensuring that truckers keep their speed down.

Drivers pulled over by the police were warned of the dangers caused by lorries travelling too fast.

Road Safety Sergeant Rob Heard said: “Excessive or inappropriate speed has a singularly devastating impact on the safety of road users, increasing both the risk of a crash and the severity of the consequences.

“Hampshire Constabulary is committed to increasing road safety on our roads and will continue to target those who fail to abide by the speed limits and deal with them by either education or prosecution.

“Our aim is quite simple: to improve the knowledge, attitudes and behaviour of any drivers who speed, thereby reducing the likelihood of the driver being involved in a future speeding incident and make our roads safer for all.”

Speeding is thought to be a contributory factor in one in three of all fatal crashes across Europe.

Sgt Heard added: “This campaign demonstrates the resolve of police forces across Europe to tackling the issue of speeding.

“It also highlights to all drivers the possibility of being prosecuted is very real if travelling at excessive speed.”