MORE than 1,000 drivers have been caught in the first week of a police speeding blitz.

Northumbria Police began a three-week campaign to cut speeding at the beginning of last week, and already 1,140 motorists have been issued with fixed penalty tickets.

Court summonses were issued to 39 drivers.

The aim of the campaign is to cut the number of deaths and injuries on roads in Tyne and Wear and Northumbria, and police are targeting accident hot spots in both urban and rural areas, pinpointing different roads every day.

A police spokeswoman said extra resources were being put into targeting stretches of roads where drivers commonly ignored speed limits.

She said: "The results from the first week should serve as a warning to drivers who ignore speed limits that they will be caught."