More than 14,500 motorists have been nabbed by a set of speed cameras on the A13 since they were activated.

The average speed cameras, which run from the junction to the A1012 for Grays down to the junction to the A1306 for Wennington, were set up in April 2015 to catch motorists who were breaking the speed limit - which had been reduced to 50mph.

Despite the numerous cameras trailing the dual-carriageway, a Freedom of Information request has revealed that there have been 14,537 incidents of drivers getting caught exceeding the speed limit. That is an average of 15 to 16 drivers a day ignoring the speed limit.

Some motorists have slammed the cameras, saying that the speed reduction is not clearly signposted and that it is unnecessary on a dual carriageway.

Joanne Lavis, 51, from Rayleigh, said: “As you come off of the M25, you go onto a slip road to a roundabout.

"You then negotiate traffic and exit onto a dual carriageway which generally is national speed limit, but the actual speed limit sign is or must be very small as I didn’t see one until I went past a camera.

“It seems to me to be unfair to have a camera in that particular spot as you would often need to speed up to meet the flow of traffic.”

Another motorist, Daniel Sparks, from Grays, said: “The speed limit is crazy for a three-lane section of road. It’s not necessary at all.

“It’s even more ridiculous at 2am when there’s no cars on the road.”

However, other motorists are in favour of the enforcement.

Crystal Kordowski-Dale, from South Ockendon, said: “It’s not hard to go under 50mph. The whole of the A13 should be 50mph.

“There wouldn’t be so many accidents with people speeding and not being able to control their cars.”

The average speed cameras time motorists’ and work out if they are breaking the limit - as opposed to normal speed cameras which capture a one-off speed.

People caught can either pay a fine and or take a speed awareness course.

A spokesman for Highways England said: “There has been a 50mph speed limit on the A13 though its junction with the M25 since January 2015.

“It is clearly signed and many thousands of drivers use it every day without being caught out.”