A motorcyclist in England allegedly travelled at close to 140mph after initially attempting to avoid police. The rider eventually stopped at Panners Interchange, at the A120 junction, and the motorcycle was seized. The incident involved more than a speeding allegation: it also led to the use of Section 59 powers.

Essex Police said the rider had already been travelling well above the speed limit before trying to get away. The motorcycle also had a flipped registration plate when it was seized. The A120 links Puckeridge in Hertfordshire with Harwich in Essex, passing around towns including Bishop's Stortford, Great Dunmow, Braintree, Coggeshall, Colchester and Dovercourt.

Essex Police stressed that speed limits serve a purpose: travelling too fast leaves less time to respond to hazards and increases the danger faced by other road users. The force said its enforcement work is intended to protect the public and encourage responsible use of the roads.

The seizure was carried out under the new Section 59 powers. In England and Wales, those powers allow police to seize motorcycles and other vehicles being used anti-socially without first issuing a warning. The case was disclosed alongside Essex Police’s September speed-enforcement figures, which counted 5,223 speeding offences in total, including 2,708 in the west of the county.