� A motorcyclist who was filmed travelling at 132mph on the A12 near Brentwood was caught minutes later by police.

Figures released yesterday (Thursday) show that had the unnamed rider driven at that speed last year they would have clocked one of the highest recorded speeds in Britain.

Insurance firm LV=, who have offices in Kings Road, Brentwood, released the figures, which show that the three top speeding motorists in 2011 were travelling at 152mph, 149mph and 142mph.

Essex Police carried out an operation to clamp down on criminals and offending motorists last Friday night.

A speed camera photographed the bike after it left the Brook Street roundabout and headed north.

Court summons

The rider was intercepted by a police motorcyclist taking part in stop checks at the Mountnessing roundabout. He was reported for speeding and will receive a court summons.

The LV= figures, obtained through Freedom of Information requests, show that 27,831 motorists were caught speeding in Essex last year, up from 27,593 in 2010.

The Essex Police operation on Friday found 65 offences ranging from possession of drugs to having no MoT certificate.

A total of 162 vehicles were pulled over during the operation which also had a stop-check site at London Road, Brentwood.

Eight vehicles were seized from drivers who had no insurance or a valid licence, 30 vehicles had no MoT certificate and 15 other motor offences – including speeding – were dealt with.

As well as the motoring offences, police carried out nine drug searches. Two people were arrested for possessing drugs and another was cautioned for having cannabis. A police said: “Traffic operations are carried out on a regular basis and motorists should make sure they adhere to the law at all times.”

LV= managing director of insurance, John O’Roarke, said: “The police data shows that more speeding motorists are being caught each year and drivers should take care to know their limits to avoid a fine, penalty points or worse.”