TWENTY-six people have been killed in crashes and more than 1,500 injured in the past year.

The shocking figure was revealed as Cumbria Police ramp up the pressure on foot-to-the-floor motorists putting lives at risk.

Police and crime commissioner Peter McCall and Cumbria Police are focusing on reducing dangerous driving and educating all drivers on the consequences of speeding.

The focus on prevention aims to teach the public the possible charges faced if caught speeding and how speeding and losing control of a vehicle can negatively affect lives.

Mr McCall said: “Speeding is a major issue consistently raised with me by the public and is an issue that we all have a responsibility to address.

“A large percentage of our roads here in Cumbria are made up of rural, narrow roads which often hold blind corners – these roads should be driven on with caution but some drivers become over confident and with excess speed, that’s when accidents happen.

“We have speed cameras and speed vans operating right across the county at any one time and the police do their best to catch and penalise speeding drivers but this is a problem that society as a whole needs to help reduce.

“Every single one of us must be responsible for our own actions when we get behind the wheel of a car or motor vehicle."

Operation Dreadnought has been running since June and has seen ten warning letters issued, 13 drivers arrested, five given a summons to court, two vehicles seized for no licence and / or no insurance and one offender dealt with via a Traffic Offence report.

Six people have been disqualified from driving and three are awaiting trial.

Inspector Steve Minnikin from the Mobile Support Group said: “By identifying and targeting these dangerous drivers we can help those who show a desire to do so, change their on-road behaviour for the better.

“Every road user should be able to feel safe throughout the county."