MORE than 30 Colchester motorists are still on the roads despite having enough points on their licence to trigger an automatic ban.

Usually, motorists who rack up 12 points for transgressions such as speeding, running red lights or performing other dangerous or careless manoeuvres can expect disqualifications.

However, the courts can choose to give offenders another chance if they can prove a period off the roads would cause them exceptional hardship.

Factors such as the jobs they do, childcare and community work are often considered.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) data shows this applied to 32 drivers with a Colchester postcode in March, with four of them having managed to rack up 15 points.

Safety charity Rospa said it was concerned that there are so many drivers with speeding convictions in the country.

Nick Lloyd, the organisation's head of road safety, added: “More concerning is that a proportion of these drivers, despite having accumulated 12 points or more on their licence, are still on our roads.

"Unfortunately some drivers either intentionally or unintentionally drive above the speed limit, thereby placing themselves, their passengers and other road users in danger."

The DVLA figures show there are 188,099 drivers with full or provisional licences in Colchester, with a combined 41,314 points between them.