Last year 994 speeding offences were committed by foreign motorists in Hampshire alone.

What’s more, from January to October 2014 foreign drivers across the UK escaped paying over £2.3m in speeding fines.

This is because most foreign drivers detected by speed cameras are not registered with the DVLA and so are difficult to track down.

Now, thanks to a new law voted on last week in the European Parliament, foreign drivers will be forced to pay up when they commit speeding offences.

Police forces are set to have access to a European database of car registration numbers which will enable them to send out speeding fines to foreign drivers across the EU.

The knock-on effect will be an improvement in safety on our roads and more cash recovered in fines.

This is great example of how cooperation across Europe can help us tackle issues which impact on our day-to-day safety and wellbeing.

The UK has up to two years to fully implement the new law.

I’m calling on Hampshire police to make full use of it so that all drivers on our roads are held accountable.

CATHERINE BEARDER, Liberal Democrat Member of the European Parliament for South East England.