POLICE had to stump up thousands of pounds to deal with a deluge in letters from speeding motorists who refused to pay up under the Human Rights Act.

Thames Valley Police had to fork out the cash to reply to floods of letters from motorists caught on camera, it was revealed this week.

Under the act, which was introduced in October last year, motorists tried to claim they had the right not to incriminate themselves as the driver.

And although the loop hole in the law was changed, the force had already received hundreds of letters and had to pay out for the manpower and administration cost to tell motorists to pay up or face court.

Nikki Malin, spokesman for Thames Valley Police, said that their fixed penalty office, which deals with fines for motorists caught on camera for speeding, receives 20,000 letters a year.

She said that at one point one in three of the letters was from a motorist trying to get round paying the fine.

And although they could not give a specific figure, the cost of administration and bureaucracy alone would run into the thousands.

She told the Free Press: "People will try and get out of things. It is human nature to try to go through the back door."

But she said when motorists were sent a letter saying that they were obliged under law to divulge who was driving the car, most paid up.