Best-selling crime author Lynda La Plante, the 83-year-old creator of Prime Suspect and its detective DCI Jane Tennison, is facing a possible driving ban after allegedly being caught speeding three times within five months in a 20mph zone near her home in Kingston-upon-Thames, south-west London. The Daily Mail frames her as the "latest victim" of the low-speed limits associated with London Mayor Sadiq Khan, and she is due in court next month, where a guilty finding could cost her her licence.

According to court papers, Ms La Plante was allegedly recorded driving at 24mph, 26mph and 27mph in the 20mph zone, with the first offence logged at 9.24am in November. In notes to court officials and police, she criticised the road signage as "very confusing" and complained that speed cameras are positioned too close to the 20mph signs, leaving drivers little time to slow down; she also argued that the courts make it hard for accused motorists to obtain legal advice. La Plante, who created the 1980s series Widows and brought Prime Suspect to screens in 1991, was awarded a CBE in 2008 for services to literature, drama and charity.