A MOTORCYCLIST has been clocked driving at more than 120mph down a main road in Midlothian during a week long speeding blitz.
Police caught the biker travelling at over 120mph on the A701 south of Leadburn in Midlothian.
The incident is one of the fastest speeds captured on the Lothians' roads in recent years and was discovered as part of Lothian & Borders Police's seve
n-day blitz on motorists across the region.
The motorcyclist was one of more than 260 motorists caught breaking the law during crackdown between April 21-28.
Hundreds of officers carried out high visibility road checks, while unmarked police patrols were deployed throughout Edinburgh and the Lothians. A total of 263 people were caught during the week of action – including 176 caught travelling without a seatbelt and 87 caught speeding.
The crackdown has been hailed by police chiefs, who said it had been a "worthwhile exercise" to help in the fight against speeding and dangerous driving.
Superintendent Alan Duncan, from Lothian and Borders Police's road policing unit, said: "Speeding and the failure to wear a seatbelt are very often a contributory factor when it comes to fatalities on our roads, and this initiative sends out the message that this kind of offending behaviour will not be tolerated.
"While it is disappointing that some motorists still behave in an irresponsible way, the majority of people are well aware of the law, and act accordingly.
"The force is determined to keep reducing the number of casualties on our roads, and initiatives like these demonstrate our commitment making our roads safer for everyone."
The crackdown comes just a week after it was revealed that the number of Lothian motorists caught speeding or failing to wear a seatbelt had dropped by 40 per cent in the last two years.
Police revealed the figures last Monday, which showed that the number of speeding offences recorded between April last year and March was 25,622, against 41,039 for 2006/7 and 43,763 for 2005/6.
The crackdown also comes two months after a similar 24-hour seatbelt and speeding drive carried out by police, which caught 17 drivers speeding in the region and a further 31 who were not wearing their seatbelts.
However, senior police chiefs have warned that speeding and not wearing a seatbelt remain "major factors" in the number of fatal and serious crashes.
Drivers who are caught without a seatbelt face a fine of £30, as do any passengers failing to belt up. For children under 14 not wearing a belt, the driver is fined.
The Advanced Motorists' Motoring Trust said the safety crackdown it helped "pound home the message" that speeding and failing to wear seatbelts would not be tolerated.
The full article contains 463 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
