PUNISHMENTS for speeding doubled this week as Cumbria police look to crack down on dangerous driving.

Drivers across the area are being urged to consider the potentially fatal consequences of driving at excessive and inappropriate speeds.

The warning comes as the force take part in a Europe-wide campaign aimed at raising awareness of speeding and enforcing the law against those who speed.

Inspector Jo Fawcett, of Cumbria police, said: "When you drive above the speed limit, do you ever give any thought to the consequences?

"The loss of your own life? The taking of someone else's?

"Speeding can be fatal and yet drivers routinely do so without any thought for the consequences."

The new sentencing guidelines came into effect on Monday, with drivers caught at speeds excessively above the legal limit facing higher penalties in England and Wales.

Under the new guidelines for magistrates, fines for motorists caught doing 51mph in a 30mph zone, or 101mph on a motorway, will start from 150 per cent of their weekly income, rather than the previous level of 100 per cent.

Inspector Fawcett also spoke of the weight of responsibility after fatal crashes.

She said: "Police officers, along with our emergency service partners, are often the first on the scene of fatal road traffic collisions so we see the devastating consequences when speeding results in a horrific and avoidable crash.

"It is also our duty as police officers to go and break the news of a fatality to the family of someone who has lost their life. It is a horrendous and heartbreaking part of the role of a police officer.

"And what of the driver responsible for that death? The driver who drove too fast, lost control, but escaped with their own life. They will have to live with their actions for the rest of their life."

The introduction of the tougher punishments were welcomed by motoring groups.

AA president Edmund King described the changes as "an effective way to penalise offenders."

He said: "It is only right these extreme offenders are punished severely.

"Responsible drivers will welcome the changes coming into force.

"The majority of drivers who keep to the correct speed, as well as driving within the conditions, won't be affected. It is only those who deliberately drive dangerously who will end up in court."

The maximum fines allowed by law remain the same, so speeding drivers cannot be fined more than £1,000 unless the offence takes place on a motorway, where the limit is £2,500.

RAC Foundation director Steve Gooding said: "While we broadly support linking the amount of the penalty with income, the cap on the level of fines means that this link is broken for high-income drivers - hardly a level playing field.

"For speeding penalties to be effective three things have to be true: they have to be severe enough to hurt, motorists need to know what they are and believe there is a realistic prospect of being caught if they go too fast.

"We worry that other pressures on police time will seriously undermine the effectiveness of this stiffening of sanctions."