THOUSANDS of people were caught speeding in just one week as part of a police crackdown.

Speed cameras and roads police in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight caught 2,656 people exceeding the speed limit - including a 7.5 tonne delivery truck which was doing 41mph in a 30 zone.

The crackdown was part of a Europe-wide campaign with officers targeting areas of the county where speed as been identified as a major cause of accidents.

Handheld and fixed speed cameras caught 1,985 of the speeding motorists during the weeklong crackdown in Hampshire from April 13 to 19.

During this time 82 per cent of speeding drivers were caught on 30 and 40mph roads, including through the New Forest, and the majority were car drivers (92 per cent).

Officers caught more men than women (at 71 per cent).

Police offered 46 per cent of speeding drivers a place on a speed awareness course, while 34 per cent were given a fixed penalty notice and 12 per cent were sent to court, while eight per cent got off with a verbal warning.

Now Hampshire Constabulary has slammed drivers that put lives at risk by exceeding the speed limit.

Road Safety Sergeant Rob Heard said the force will continue to crackdown on the crime.

He said: "These results show that too many people are still speeding on our roads and by doing so are putting their own lives at risk, as well as others.

"Excessive or inappropriate speed has a singularly devastating impact on the safety of all road users, increasing the risk of not only being involved in a crash but also the severity of the consequences.

"The forces experience by the human body in a collision increase exponentially as the speed increases. If you collide with a pedestrian at 30mph they have a 80 per cent chance of survival, however if you collide at 40mph then the pedestrian only has a 20 per cent chance of survival.

"Our aim is to improve the knowledge, attitudes and behaviour of any driver who speeds, thereby reducing the likelihood of the driver being involved in a future speeding incident and make our roads safer."