POLICE sent a letter to a man reminding him to stick to the speed limit this year, despite the fact he is dead.

Sussex Police sent out a series of letters reminding former-speeding ticket recipients to drive safely in the new year, including one addressed to Stephen Webber.

His daughter, Ruby Whitworth, posted an image of the letter on Twitter and said: “Thanks for your concern but you don’t need to worry about Stephen speeding anymore, he’s dead.”

Sussex Police responded, commenting on her post.

A spokesman said: “Hi Ruby, we’d like to offer our sincerest condolences.

“This initiative was intended to keep the roads of Sussex as safe as possible.

“However, we fully realise in some cases this was inappropriate and we apologise for any distress caused by our letter.”

Ruby saw the funny side of the situation.

She said: “Thank you, that’s very kind.

“Unlike some people, my mum and I found it hilarious.

“If he was alive it would have been completely appropriate for him.”

But, other people who received the letter were less forgiving.

Dennis Hammond also took to social media to voice his opinion, tagging Sussex Police.

He said: “With regards to your letter encouraging me to keep to the speed limit this year. Two things of note.

“One, you have not known me long enough to call me Dennis.

“Two, you have spelt licence wrong.”

Sussex Police replied to the post and acknowledged the spelling error.

Another person who received a letter referenced the recent approval of PCC Katy Bourne’s recommendation to increase the policing element of the council tax.

They said: “You might be able to employ a few more if you didn’t send pointless letters to people reminding them of a spent minor speeding offence two years ago. It’s a waste of taxpayers’ money.”

A Sussex Police spokesman said: "These letters are part of a trial initiative by Sussex Police trying to reduce the number of people killed and seriously injured each year on our roads, as we know that road traffic collisions are often caused by people speeding.

"We are therefore sending these letters to remind people of their responsibility not to speed and to encourage them to commit to changing their driving behaviour this year, keeping our roads safe.

"The benefits of this trial will then be reviewed."

The letters are signed off by chief superintendent Neil Honnor.

He said: "The letter is a follow-up to a previous driving offence and is aimed to act as a reminder to reflect on driving behaviour.

"We have received a lot of feedback about the initiative, much of which has been very positive. This is clearly a subject that has generated very different views, and we hope that the more people talk about it, the more mindful they will be of their speed when driving.

“We became aware that we sent a letter to someone deceased, and acted quickly to offer our sincerest condolences and apologies for any distress that may have caused.”