Richard Hammond fined £999 for two speeding offences in Herefordshire

Richard Hammond has been fined £999 after being caught speeding twice in Herefordshire within just three weeks, a court has heard. The Grand Tour presenter and former Top Gear host appeared before magistrates to answer both charges, leaving with a significantly lighter wallet and six points on his licence.

What happened in court

The 54-year-old television personality faced Herefordshire magistrates after speed cameras caught him breaking the legal limit on two separate occasions. The offences occurred within a 21-day window, raising eyebrows given that Hammond has built much of his TV career around cars and driving. Magistrates imposed fines totalling £999, along with the six penalty points. Hammond didn’t contest the charges.

A court spokesperson confirmed that the sentencing followed standard guidelines for repeat speeding offences recorded in such close succession.

Two offences, three weeks apart

Details heard in court revealed that Hammond was caught on camera on both occasions while driving in the county of Herefordshire, where he has lived for a number of years. The exact roads and speeds involved were put before magistrates as part of the hearing. The proximity of the two offences — just weeks apart — is what pushed the penalties into the higher bracket.

It’s not a small sum. At £999, the total fine sits just under the four-figure mark, and combined with the six points, Hammond’s driving record has taken a notable hit.

Hammond’s history behind the wheel

For Hammond, cars aren’t just a job — they’re a lifelong obsession. He’s spent decades presenting motoring programmes, including 13 years on Top Gear alongside Jeremy Clarkson and James May, before the trio moved to Amazon’s The Grand Tour. In 2006, he suffered a near-fatal crash at Elvington airfield in Yorkshire when a jet-powered dragster travelling at around 288 mph blew a tyre and rolled. He was left in a coma and spent months recovering from a serious brain injury.

But road speeding and track driving are very different things, and magistrates treat them the same regardless of who’s in the dock.

What comes next

So where does Hammond go from here? With six fresh points added to his licence, any further offences within the next three years could put him in serious jeopardy of a driving ban. A total of 12 points typically triggers a disqualification under the totting-up rules. That’s a prospect that would be professionally awkward, to say the least, for someone whose work depends on getting behind the wheel.

Hammond has not made any public statement about the fines. His representatives had not responded to requests for comment at the time of publication.

Still, the case serves as a straightforward reminder that speed cameras don’t care about your television credits. And magistrates, it turns out, aren’t handing out autographs.