A senior executive at Britain’s biggest speed camera firm was banned from driving for six months today after he admitted travelling at more than 100mph.

Tom Riall, 49, was apprehended by police officers when they recorded him driving at 102.92mph on the A14 near Newmarket, in Suffolk.

Mr Riall is head of Serco’s home affairs division, which has installed and managed speed cameras at more than 4,000 sites around Britain since 1992.

He was fined and banned from driving at Sudbury magistrates court today after his third speeding offence in two years. “I accept the decision of the court. I recognise that speeding is not acceptable and regret what I did,” he said outside court. “My speed was excessive and I’ve made a full apology.”

Last year, Mr Riall was prominent in an anti-speeding initiative, sponsored by Serco, called "Safe Drive Stay Alive''. He said at the time: "We see the direct consequences of reckless and dangerous driving every single day. For far too many young people it ends with a prison sentence but for the families left behind the pain lasts much longer.”

Mr Riall had already received two fixed-penalty notices for exceeding the speed limit by then. His third offence came as he drove his blue Volvo estate to visit friends in Newmarket, before attending a business meeting in Norwich on January 4.

He told the court that driving conditions had been good and there was little traffic on the road. He said that he told a police officer who stopped him that he believed he had been travelling at 90mph.

In asking magistrates not to impose a ban, he said: “You will be aware that this offence has caused some considerable personal embarrassment."

The executive argued that driving was essential for his job, which involves more than 30,000 miles on the road every year. He claimed that he would be forced to hire two private chauffeurs at a personal cost of about £30,000, which might leave him unable to keep his three children in private school.

Mr Riall, who is married, has been responsible for overseeing the management of more than 4,000 speed and traffic light cameras since joining Serco in March 2005. “In my role, I am all too aware of the consequences of speeding,” he said. “Of course, while I have had a number of fixed-penalty notices in the past, this is the first time I have exceeded the speed limit to this degree.

“I would like to make it clear that I do acknowledge and accept that my speed was excessive and the offence merits points on my driving licence. I would point out that a potential ban would be a significant punishment on me as an individual.”

Magistrates ruled that Mr Riall should pay a £300 fine, £46 towards prosecution costs and a victim surcharge of £15. He was given six penalty points in addition to the six already on his licence, resulting in a six-month driving ban.

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