A psychiatrist has racked up nine points on his driving licence for speeding at just 24mph in London.

Dr Gary Duffield, 67, from north London, will be banned from the roads if he is hit with one more speeding ticket.

When the consultant forensic psychiatrist was caught driving at 24mph in a 20mph zone last year, he was hit with a fine and attended a speed awareness course.

But after running up three further prosecutions in Hackney and Camden, for travelling twice at 24mph and once at 25mph, Dr Duffield faces losing his licence for six months if caught speeding again.

It comes as more than half of London's roads now have a 20mph limit as part of Sir Sadiq Khan's bid to reduce road casualties.

Transport for London (TfL) said cars hitting pedestrians at 30mph were five times more likely to kill than at 20mph.

This week, the Daily Mail reported 20mph zones across Britain were being blamed for a surge in the number of drivers receiving points on their licences to nearly a million.

Last year's total was almost a third higher than the 678,000 motorists hit with speeding points in 2022.

Dr Duffield said he was 'no boy racer' and said the penalty for 'minor infringements' was 'disproportionate'.

He said a lack of cruise control in his Toyota Prius meant he sometimes crept above the limit while watching the road, it was reported.

'I try to stick to the limit but there is a limit to how frequently you can check your speedometer,' he said.

'My point is: there is no flexibility in what punishment they hand out.'

Dr Duffield complained he saw Lime bikes 'whizzing' past him and breaching the limit while trying to control his own speed.

As a doctor, he said he needed his car and having his licence taken away would cause him problems.

Research from Insight Warehouse found an estimated 19.1million Britons now live in neighbourhoods with a 20mph limit.

Such zones are particularly common in Wales, where over 90% of urban roads are subject to the limit - the Welsh Labour government scrapped its blanket 20mph rule in 2024, just a year after it was introduced, following public opposition.

Campaigners have labelled the zones 'unjust and unnecessary', while the limits have also been branded part of Labour's 'war on motorists'.

Last month London's mayor was reportedly considering a raft of measures including more 20mph zones, a new charge on so-called 'Chelsea tractors' and using AI to catch rulebreakers on the road.

A Department for Transport spokesman reportedly said: 'Local authorities are responsible for setting speed limits in their areas, and our guidance is clear that 20mph limits should only be used where they are appropriate and supported by evidence.

'We've been clear that speed cameras are for safety, not raising cash.'