Jeremy Clarkson has said he is to receive points on his driving licence after being caught speeding.

Writing in his weekly Sun newspaper column, the controversial Top Gear presenter admitted being caught by a fixed camera travelling between Whitby and London. He said he was driving “too fast” to be offered the option of taking a speed awareness course.

Clarkson was strongly criticised in 2008 for claiming to have driven 186mph on a public road during an interview, where he also said: "The speed limit's annoying for people who have a job to do."

In his column, he wrote: "Last month I wrote in a blind fury about how many speed cameras I'd encountered on a drive from Whitby to London. Well, it seems one of them got to me.

"Sadly, I was going too quickly for the speed awareness course to be an option. Which means I'm getting some points on my licence. My first in 30 years."

He did not state what speed he was driving at.

His admission comes after the Top Gear hosts claimed they were forced to flee Argentina when a number plate sparked anger among the locals.

Clarkson said his crew fled after a crowd became enraged at a Porsche with the registration number H982 FKL, which some people apparently suggested was a deliberate reference to the 1982 war between Argentina and the UK over the Falkland Islands.

The presenters said they bought the car - complete with the number plate - in the UK because it was the best available vehicle of its type and the number plate had not been considered.

Additional reporting by PA