THREE south Bucks areas have landed in a list of the ten worst UK speeding hotspots, shock new figures show.

Residents of Princes Risborough, Chalfont St Giles and Holmer Green & Hazlemere all receive around double the national average of speeding convictions, according to an insurance company.

The areas were among 1,600 surveyed.

Bucks is second behind Dorset as the county with the highest percentage of speeders.

"The fact that so many are here in the top ten does suggest there could be a link between the number of speed cameras in an area and the number of drivers with speed convictions.

"The Thames Valley area has the second highest number of cameras in the UK," said James Carnduff, spokesman for insurance firm Admiral.

He added: "The statistics for the Thames Valley Police area and south Bucks specifically really stand out."

The three areas are where the highest amount of customers of the insurance company have received tickets.

One in four drivers insured with Admiral in Princes Risborough were found to have a speeding conviction, placing the town third in the table.

Holmer Green & Hazlemere and Chalfont St Giles came sixth and seventh with 23.1 per cent and 22 per cent respectively in the survey of the company's policyholders.

Anti-speed camera campaigners argue it is a case of it being a postcode lottery - with the Thames Valley region having 498 cameras.

Keith Peat, a spokesman for the Association of British Drivers said: "If you were getting accidents of the same quantity you would have to look at the road layout. When so many people are falling into the same trap they are not all doing it deliberately."

A total of 75,248 motorists in Thames Valley had to pay up in 2006/07 - netting £4.5m.

Buckinghamshire County Councillor Pauline Wilkinson who represents Amersham, was handed three penalty points after being caught speeding by a mobile camera on Marlow Hill in 2005, said: "We certainly have plenty of cameras around. I know Hazlemere has a notorious one and so has Chalfont St Giles."

Dan Campsall, communications manager for Thames Valley Safer Roads Partnership said he did not believe the position of speed cameras contributed to more south Bucks drivers being caught because they were more densely populated in Reading.

He said: "The areas are reasonably affluent which might be businesspeople who are high mileage drivers so there might be that association to do with their lifestyle. Then it would be less surprising to find they had quite a high instance of speeding convictions."

Radlett in Hertfordshire was found to be the worst place in the country - having 27 per cent of motorists with a speeding conviction.