The chief constable of South Yorkshire Police, Med Hughes, who was last week disqualified from driving for 42 days for speeding, has admitted that he has made the job of convincing motorists to respect speed limits much more difficult.

He made his comments the day after his conviction to a group of the most ardent advocates of a zero tolerance approach to speeding – the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM).

Mr Hughes, who was convicted at Wrexham Magistrates Court of driving at 90mph in a 60mph zone, told the IAM annual lunch that he had “brought roads policing into disrepute” and made his colleagues’ job “much harder”.

The chief constable, who has become the first disqualified driver to address the IAM lunch, had been a prominent advocate of speed cameras.

He should have been the ideal after-dinner speaker to a group of motorists famous for their absolute adherence to the rules of the road.

Instead, the first sentences to come from his mouth were laden with regrets. “I have already apologised and I apologise again to you,” said Mr Hughes.

He was invited to speak prior to his disqualification and his subsequent resignation as the Association of Chief Police Officers’ head of roads policing – a position that effectively made him the most senior traffic officer in the country.

Now Mr Hughes will be responsible for policing the 2012 Olympics.