ONE Northumberland driver has 35 points on their driving licence, the DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency) has said.

A Freedom of Information request by the Courant to the agency also revealed that 36 drivers in the county have more than 12 points on their licence.

The DVLA said because their database changes constantly as they receive information that updates individual drivers' records, the data is only a snapshot of the state of Northumberland's drivers' records.

These figures reflect the position as of December 24 last year.

Drivers can be banned from driving if they get 12 or more penalty points within three years.

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The DVLA said that they understand in a small percentage of cases where the driver has accumulated 12 or more penalty points, a court can exercise its discretion and not disqualify the driver.

In the majority of these cases, the magistrates may allow drivers to retain their entitlement to drive where disqualification would cause exceptional hardship.

A Northumbria Police spokeswoman said: "We all have a responsibility to make our roads as safe as they possibly can be for all users.

"Speed limits are just one of the many deterrents we use to ensure motorists are not driving above the limit. The presence of a speed camera, whether that is a mobile van or a stationary camera, deters speeding and helps improve road safety across our force area.

"Statistics show that drivers travelling at excess speed is one of the major contributory factors in serious and fatal road traffic collisions. We will continue to take swift and appropriate action against those who endanger the lives of other road users, as well as actively enforce speed limits across our force area when it is appropriate to do so."