British drivers have been “left guessing” what the speed limits are on key roads with motorists at risk of being hit by motoring fines. 

A new poll from car breakdown and insurance specialists at the RAC has revealed speed limits are most likely to be covered up by overgrown foliage ahead of summer. 

Three-quarters (74 percent) of drivers polled have called out the issue within over half (53 percent) noticing covered speeding signs “frequently”.

A further 39 percent of respondents claimed that signs are “occasionally harder to see” in the warmer months.

Just eight percent said that covered signs were not a problem which highlights the scale of the issue in the UK.

RAC breakdown spokesperson Alice Simpson explained: “It’s especially concerning that speed limit signs are often the hardest to detect and drivers are left guessing what the legal limit is before they spot a smaller repeater sign. 

“Any amount of excessive speeding puts everyone on the roads at grave danger, especially on minor and local roads where there’s a greater number of pedestrians.

“Drivers shouldn’t be left to rely on their local knowledge and navigation apps to know if there’s a change in speed limit or if a junction is approaching. 

“And new in-car systems that normally detect road signs and display them on the dashboard are redundant if a sign isn’t visible. 

Meanwhile, around a quarter (26 percent) said they missed important information which may have compromised safety. 

The research found that 52 percent of road users said 30mph signs were the most obscured. This was followed by 40mph signs (39 percent) and 20mph signs (16 percent).

Alice added: “While we realise local councils are under enormous pressure financially, we nonetheless ask them to inspect all the signs on their networks and do everything in their power to ensure they are clear and visible to drivers, as it’s these signs that can save lives.”