PLANS to get tougher on drivers who break speed limits have been welcomed by campaigners.

New fines are set to come into force today when new sentencing guidelines take effect.

It means drivers responsible for high speed offences will be given harsher fines under a series of strict new rules for district judges and magistrates.

They could be fined 150 per cent of their weekly income, rather than the existing level of 100 per cent.

This includes drivers caught doing 41mph in a 20mph area, 51mph in a 30mph area or 66mph in a 40mph area.

As part of our Stop the Madness campaign, The Lancashire Telegraph has been calling for tougher penalties for drivers who break the rules.

The campaign, which has been backed by the Transport Minister and MPs as well as police, local authorities, road safety charities and those who have suffered the consequences of poor and dangerous driving.

It calls for a ban on under-25s being able to hire high-performance vehicles, probationary driver status to be compulsory for the first 12 months after passing a test and stronger sentences for anyone convicted of dangerous driving.

Figures show 12 people were killed on East Lancashire's roads within six months while 1,843 were injured.

Road safety charity Brake has welcomed the measures to get tough on drivers who break speed limits.

Gary Rae, campaigns director who also backed our Stop the Madness campaign, said: "Toughening the fines and penalties for speeding is long overdue.

"As a charity that offers a support service to families bereaved and injured in road crashes, we see every day the consequences of speeding on our roads.

"I hope that magistrates ensure the new sentences are consistently applied."

He said breaking the speed limit or travelling too fast for conditions was recorded (by police at crash scenes) as a contributory factor of 23 per cent of fatal crashes in 2015 while a Brake survey found that four in 10 UK drivers admitted they sometimes drive at 30mph in 20mph zones.

Pendle MP Andrew Stephenson said: "I think it is a welcome step forward from the government.

"These things are linked by the courts to people's wages.

"The fines are there as a deterrent. I welcome anything we can do to ensure people drive more responsibly."

Currently in the UK the minimum penalty for speeding is a £100 fine and three penalty points added to your driving licence, while the maximum fine is £1,000 or £2,500 for motorway offences.