An analysis of speeding offences committed across Kent has thrown up an unexpected hotspot.

Westerham, the small sedate town near Sevenoaks, best known for being the home of Winston Churchill, recorded the highest number of speeding offences of anywhere in the county last year – at 9,867.

That was 2,000 more than the second worst spot – Swanley, on 7,897.

However, the tiny village of Boxley near Maidstone, was punching well above its weight – with 5,411 offences recorded.

Maidstone itself had the sixth highest number of offences in 2023 at 3,751.

The research was carried out by tech company OOONO, which produces safety devices for motorists, using data from Freedom of Information requests.

The data was derived from Kent Police for both camera-issued and officer-issued tickets recorded between January 1 and December 31, 2023.

While Westerham and Boxley might not seem to be obvious speeding hotstpots, it is likely there is a straightforward explanation.

KentOnline asked OOONO for more details and it confirmed the police data mentioned only general locations.

But it also revealed the Westerham offences were for “excess speed – 70mph limit” and were drivers caught by “motorway ACD”, which stands for automatic camera device.

The M25 cuts through the Westerham.

Similarly, the offences recorded in Boxley were for exceeding 50mph. The main route through the village is a 20mph limit.

However, the A229 at the bottom of Blue Bell Hill cuts through the parish boundary, and is a well-known spot for the Kent and Medway Speed Camera Partnership’s mobile van.

Meanwhile, the findings also threw some insight into who is committing the offences.

Contrary to received wisdom, it found that drivers aged between 35 and 44 were responsible for more than triple the number of speeding offences (16K) compared with those committed by young drivers aged under 24 (5K).

While 68% of all speeding motorists were male.

Christian Oyrabo, the CEO of OOONO, said: “While younger drivers often bear the brunt of scrutiny regarding road safety, the data indicates that an older demographic are in fact more prone to dangerous driving.”

Almost a fifth of all offices in Kent were committed in just 10 locations.

They were:

1. Westerham – 9,867

2. Swanley – 7,897

3. Dartford – 7,701

4. Boxley – 5,411

5. West Malling – 3,959

6. Maidstone – 3,751

7. Ashford – 2,743

8. Gillingham – 2,536

9. Chatham – 2,488

10. Strood – 1,558

Mr Oyrabo added: “Regardless of gender, town or age, it’s important that Kent drivers remain diligent on all types of roads, slowing down and paying attention to the road ahead.“