内容摘要：That's according to the central forecast from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) - the independent body that scrutinises the public finances.

That's according to the central forecast from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) - the independent body that scrutinises the public finances.

compared to its predecessor over the previous three years.Herefordshire's only fixed speed camera has caught thousands of drivers over the past two years.

Standing on the A645 Belmont Road in south-west Hereford, the lone camera has caught nearly five speeding motorists a day, West Mercia Police said in response to a Freedom of Information request.Between April 2023 and March 2024, the camera snapped 1,867 vehicles exceeding the 30mph speed limit.Of these, 1,650 drivers were offered a speed awareness course option and 81 immediately given the £100 fixed penalty and three points on their licence.

It appears that some drivers declined the speeding course option, as the final number of offenders who accepted the fixed penalty was 433.More recently in the 2024/25 financial year there was a slight drop to 1,643 speeding offences detected by the camera, leading to 340 offenders so far accepting the fixed penalty.

The fastest drivers snapped by the camera in each of the two years were emergency vehicles: a West Midlands ambulance at 73mph, and a West Mercia police car doing 65mph.

When asked about the sums raised from the penalties issued to other motorists, the information officer said: "We do not hold the information on fines paid as these go to central government."In September, thirteen volunteers and two staff from Butterfly Conservation carried out surveys at 20 sites, with recorded numbers more than doubling.

A short spell of dry, clement weather in June is thought to have played a part in the butterfly’s surge, along with site management.The charity’s Northern Ireland Conservation Manager Rose Cremin said the results were “a good sign” that work to protect habitats was delivering.

“Now we need the government to continue to reward farmers for farming with nature," she said.“We urge the government to put more money into agri-environment schemes aimed at not just maintaining but increasing the grassland habitat which can provide a home for marsh fritillary and a host of other species."