An acclaimed novelist and television writer is facing a potential driving ban after being accused of exceeding the speed limit on three occasions within a five-month-period in Kingston.

Lynda La Plante, who is known for creating Prime Suspect, is set to stand before Lavender Hill Magistrate's Court on 3 August where she will face a driving ban if she is found guilty.

The 83-year-old was allegedly caught driving at 24mph, 26mph, and 27mph in a 20mph zone near to her home in Kingston.

In a series of notes aimed at court officials and the police, Ms La Plante denounced 'very confusing' road signs alerting drivers to the speed limit, and she says cameras are placed too close to signs telling motorists that it is a 20mph zone, giving them little time to slow down.

The award-winning author has also taken the courts to task for making it difficult for accused drivers to obtain legal advice.

Ms La Plante, who created hit robbery TV series Widows in the 1980s and brought Prime Suspect to the screen in 1991, was awarded a CBE in 2008 for services to literature, drama and charity.

Court papers show she was first caught speeding at 9.24am on November 2 last year, when it is said her Toyota was clocked at 24mph on the A308 Kingston Hill.

Responding to the charge, she ticked the boxes both for guilty and not guilty, and asked for a court hearing in her case.

She wrote: "I wish the court to survey the very confusing signs to indicate from 30mph to 20mph.

"The speed camera is a very short distance – no more than 10 seconds and with traffic and cyclists overtaking but almost hitting the bumper of my vehicle."

She added that it is "10 seconds to the speed camera', and there is 'no 20mph painted on road".

The second incident happened at 9.35am on March 5, a short distance along the same road, when the author's car was clocked at 26mph.

In her written response, Ms La Plante suggested she had already tried to pay a fine by cheque to avoid a prosecution, but she went on to be critical of the communications in place.

She said she "spent 25 minutes on the phone waiting to speak to an adviser, only to find they did not speak English".

Ms La Plante also circled a line on the Single Justice Procedure form, which reads: 'If you need legal advice, go to: gov.uk/find-a-legal-adviser'.

The web link did not work, and Ms La Plante penned on the form: "No longer available."

She then faced a third criminal prosecution, over a speeding offence at 10.03am on April 11 after travelling at 27mph past the same speed camera involved in the second offence.

In her response, she pleaded guilty and wrote: "I wish to dispute this offence on the basis that the signage warning motorists of a 20mph speed limit is only 10-15 paces from a 30mph zone, on a downward hill.

"It is impossible to reduce the speed appropriately in that time/distance."

In the papers for the third case, a Met Police worker set out that if convicted the crime author would have at least 12 penalty points on her licence, putting her in line for an automatic six-month disqualification.

The Met Police has brought all three prosecutions through the fast-track Single Justice Procedure, while responsibility for the speed limit signs and road markings lies with local councils.

Since becoming Mayor of London in 2016, Sadiq Khan has overseen a reduction in the speed of many of the capital's roads.

Last year, he wrote on X (formerly Twitter): "The evidence is clear - 20mph zones save lives. In London, they've cut deaths and serious injuries by 34 per cent and child fatalities by 75 per cent. That's why we need to see more 20mph areas."

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