DOZENS of "dangerous drivers" are still on Dorset's roads despite racking up enough points for a ban.

Analysis of DVLA data reveals more than 100 drivers in the county managed to dodge a ban after being given 12 or more penalty points – the usual threshold for losing a licence.

There were 29 in Poole, 26 in Bournemouth, 23 in both East Dorset and Purbeck, 14 in North Dorset and 10 in Christchurch.

Road safety charity Brake says current system allows "repeat offenders" to exploit the 'exceptional hardship' loophole in the law intended to limit the impact of driving bans on third parties.

Joshua Harris, the charity's director of campaigns, said it was "hugely concerning" that so many offenders were allowed to keep driving.

"By ignoring the exploitation of the ‘exceptional hardship’ loophole that allows unsafe drivers to remain on our roads, the government and courts are complicit in increasing the risk to the public," he said.

"This dangerous loophole must be dealt with as a matter of urgency so that drivers who reach 12 points are automatically disqualified, protecting the general public from harm.

"Driving is a privilege, not a right and if that privilege is not exercised responsibly it must be taken away."

Under the law as it stands, if a driver can convince a magistrate that they, or an innocent party such as a family member, will face 'exceptional hardship' as a result of losing their licence they may be permitted to keep it.

Brake is calling for the loophole to be closed as part of its 'Roads to Justice' campaign. It says an urgent review should be carried out on the "fundamentally flawed road traffic framework".

The latest figures, which record penalty points as of July, show there are nearly 11,000 drivers across the UK who have retained their licences despite passing the points limit, some with more than 40 or 50 points.

In Dorset, the highest number of points received by one driver who is still allowed to drive is 18.

The country's worst serial offender is a 44-year-old man from the Staffordshire area with 54 points.

Generally Dorset is has more law-abiding drivers than average for the country.

Around 18 or fewer in every 100,000 local drivers have at least 12 points on their licence, below the national average of 23 per 100,000.

A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: "The vast majority of drivers who get 12 penalty points are automatically disqualified.

"The courts have access to DVLA records which are taken into account, but sentencing is rightly a matter for independent judges based on the facts of each case."

John Bache, chairman of the Magistrates Association, said: "The process for establishing exceptional hardship is robust – magistrates scrutinise every case very carefully and an individual would only avoid a ban if the magistrates sitting in the case are confident that exceptional hardship would genuinely be caused."