Richard Hammond fined for speeding in Bentley and Porsche
Former Top Gear star Richard Hammond has received Richard Hammond speeding fines after pleading guilty to two offences in a Porsche and a Bentley. West Mercia Police caught him twice in Herefordshire in December 2025. Telford magistrates handed him seven points and a total bill of £1,771.
Key Takeaways
- Hammond admitted speeding in a Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo and a Bentley Continental GT within three weeks in Herefordshire.
- Telford magistrates gave him seven penalty points and ordered £999 in fines plus costs and surcharges totaling £1,771.
- Police initially struggled to serve notices before tracing him to a £2m home near Abergavenny.
- Extra allegations that he failed to identify the driver were denied by his solicitor and later withdrawn.
The 56-year-old former BBC Top Gear co-presenter was prosecuted by West Mercia Police after speed-camera evidence from two December 2025 stops in Herefordshire. He pleaded guilty through his lawyers and was dealt with under the Single Justice Procedure at Telford Magistrates’ Court.
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What speeding offences did Richard Hammond admit?
On 2 December 2025, just before 1pm, an officer with a handheld camera clocked Hammond’s Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo at 68mph in a 50mph limit on the A40 in Pencraig.
About 20 days later, at around 11.45am on 22 December, his Bentley Continental GT was recorded at 82mph in a 70mph limit on the A50 Rudhall overbridge, also in Herefordshire.
According to The Guardian, those two prosecutions formed the case put before magistrate Ann Minton.
How much were the Richard Hammond speeding fines?
Minton ordered two fines of £333 and £666 — £999 in total — plus £240 in costs and victim surcharges of £532. The overall bill came to £1,771, with seven points on his licence.
He was one of 39 drivers processed by the magistrate on 22 July. The Single Justice Procedure meant the case was decided on papers without Hammond appearing in open court.
Why did police track Hammond to a £2m home?
Court papers say speeding tickets were sent to a Grade II*-listed Herefordshire castle he bought in 2012 and to a farm estate near Hereford, but letters came back marked “addressee gone away.”
Officers then traced him to his £2m mansion near Abergavenny in Monmouthshire, where more than 30 vehicles are registered. He also faced allegations of ignoring police letters and failing to name the driver.
His solicitor told the court he had replied by first-class post identifying himself. West Mercia Police later withdrew those extra charges, leaving the two speeding convictions.
Hammond hosted Top Gear with Jeremy Clarkson and James May from 2002 to 2015 before The Grand Tour. He survived a 320mph jet-car crash while filming in 2006 and, with Clarkson, received a three-month French driving ban in 2013 after a filming-related speeding stop.