But the Lancashire Partnership for Road Safety has warned it is to clamp down on the trend, which has seen some people apply for provisional licences for family members just so they can put points on them if they get caught speeding.

It means the actual culprits avoid the points, possible bans and the resultant increases in insurance costs.

The news comes after the first Lancashire driver to be convicted of the con – 69-year-old Assador Ali – was given a four-month suspended jail sentence and banned from driving for a year.

Last month Ali, of Warbreck Hill Road, Blackpool, was convicted at Preston Crown Court on three counts of perverting the course of justice after falsely naming his wife, a provisional licence holder, as the driver on three occasions in connection with speeding offences.

When arrested he admitted his guilt, saying he already had nine points on his licence and could not afford to lose it, as he had to drive for his job as a restaurant owner.

Linda Sanderson of Lancashire Partnership for Road Safety, said: "This is a landmark case, the first instance of someone being convicted of 'dumping' points on a provisional licence.

"There are many such investigations under way and this will not be the last conviction we see. And it is evident from the stiff sentence that courts are taking this issue very seriously."

Around 63,000 people are prosecuted for speeding in Lancashire every year. Around 61,000 get a fixed penalty notice and a further 2,000 are dealt with in court.

Investigating officer Mark Pilkington said: "We are finding that, in cases such as these, there is often only one person in the car.

"That instantly alerts us. It is highly unlikely to be a provisional driver clocking up the points."