A senior Sussex Police officer was today starting a six-month driving ban for speeding.

Eastbourne-based Chief Inspector Peter Mills was flashed by a speed camera doing 88mph on a 70mph road.

He was driving his BMW 525 series on the A21 Tonbridge bypass in Kent in the early hours of July 1 when he was caught.

The Argus revealed last week he had been summonsed to appear at Sevenoaks Magistrates Court and yesterday he pleaded guilty by post.

In a letter to court, Mr Mills - Eastbourne's district commander and chairman of the town's Crime Reduction Partnership - said: "It is with regret that my case appears before court today."

In mitigation, he apologised to the court and said there were no other road users at that time in the early morning.

In his absence, magistrates fined him £250, ordered him to pay £35 costs and added three penalty points to his driving licence.

Previous road traffic offences meant he already had nine points, pushing him to the 12-point disqualification limit with this latest offence.

Afterwards, Sussex Police announced Mr Mills would be handed a formal misconduct warning. But he keeps his position as Eastbourne's most senior officer.

In a statement, Mr Mills said: "I feel I have let both myself and Sussex Police down."

Chief Superintendent Paul Pearce, divisional commander for East Downs division, praised Mr Mills for his combative crime-fighting.

He said Mr Mills has been treated the same as anyone else would have under similar driving offences.

Mr Pearce said: "Peter Mills has been district commander in Eastbourne for the last year during which time there has been a significant reduction in crime and a huge increase in the number of crimes detected.

"He has earned the support of many people in the community who have benefited from his positive policing style."

Mr Mills is one of the county's highest profile police figures. He has involved himself in virtually every aspect of the community.

He has been publicly credited for his crime-fighting, most notably his offensive on drug dealers, boy racers and anti-social behaviour.

His robust tactics drew praise from Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy when he visited Eastbourne ahead of the local elections in May.

Mr Mills took over as district commander in November last year with a message criminals would have nowhere to hide.

He and his officers have executed warrants on drug houses almost on a weekly basis, securing the seizure of hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of drugs.

In one month alone 200 people were arrested, 1,200 stop checks made and more than 450 man-hours dedicated to high-visibility police patrols.

Last year, Mr Mills sent handwritten Christmas cards to Eastbourne's most prolific offenders with a message: "You are regularly coming to police attention for committing crime in Eastbourne. You will be arrested unless you stop. Happy Christmas, Chief Inspector Peter Mills."