An Amazon driver blamed a lack of training on speed limits by the multinational technology firm for her driving too fast on a Suffolk road on 13 separate occasions.

Van driver Emily Burch, 23, was clocked doing 70mph on the A12 at Stratford St Mary each time over a period of less than two months between December last year and January this year.

Vans are only permitted to travel at 60mph on dual carriageways.

She had already pleaded guilty to the offences prior to the hearing before Ipswich magistrates on Friday.

In mitigation, Burch, representing herself, said: "There is so many because during my training at Amazon, I never got trained on the fact that the speed limit was 60mph."

However, presiding magistrate Michael Sweeting said when she trained to become a driver she would have studied the Highway Code which would have provided information about speed limits for different classes of vehicles.

Burch said: “After the first offence came through the post, I realised what the speed limit was and I have tried to keep to 60mph.

“I know that I messed up quite a lot over these offences, but I never did it intentionally and there is not much more I can say apart from that.”

In all but three of the offences, Burch, of Brookvale Road, Southampton, was recorded doing 70mph in a Vauxhall Vivaro - she did 71mph twice and 72mph once.

Sentencing Burch, Mr Sweeting said: “We have heard from you this afternoon about the circumstances, but in truth you should have known what the speed limit in that vehicle was.”

For each of the first two offences, she received three points on her licence, a fine of £107, a surcharge of £34 and costs of £110, bringing a total of £358.

No separate financial penalties were levied for the other 11 charges, although she received three points for each - a total of more than 30 points - which resulted in a six-month driving ban via the totting up procedure.