FEWER than one driver a day was caught speeding through roadworks to widen Hampshire motorway, the Daily Echo can reveal.

Road safety bosses issued 268 tickets to motorists snapped breaking a 50mph speed limit between junctions three and four of the M27 over the past 11 months.

The figures come as transport minister Lord Adonis was this morning due to officially declare as open the £36m scheme to add a fourth lane to the busy stretch.

Andrew Adonis, pictured right, was due to unveil a plaque on a bridge over the motorway to mark the completion of the Highways Agency project to ease congestion caused by the 120,000 cars that use the road every day.

Road safety bosses have hailed the number of tickets as proof the average speed cameras, dubbed “yellow vultures”, are the best way of curbing speedsters and saving lives. The average speed measured through the works was 42mph.

Julian Hewitt, a spokesman for Hampshire’s Safer Roads Partnership, said: “Average speed cameras have an excellent record of ensuring compliance with the speed limits.

“Motorists using the M27 during the roadworks are to be congratulated on the way they kept within the 50mph temporary limit.”

However, last night it was unclear whether the temporary 50mph limit would be lifted today.

The Highways Agency this week warned motorists to stick to the limit despite the removal of the speed cameras.

It said some remaining cabling work for the roadside telephones was preventing them from restoring speed limits to 70mph.

The roadworks started last February, and were scheduled to take 14 months. It is still two months ahead of schedule.

A linked £18m scheme to build climbing lanes between junction 11 at Fareham and junction 12 was opened in September. Cameras on that stretch caught 175 motorists breaking the law over six months.

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