A motorist was handed a $1.4m (£1.1m) speeding fine after going 35mph over the limit – and claims he was then threatened with court action unless he paid it.

Connor Cato assumed the steep penalty was a typo after he was caught driving at 90mph in a 55mph zone in the US state of Georgia.

But when he phoned up officials to discuss his fine, which was issued in the coastal city of Savannah, Mr Cato says he was ordered to pay up regardless and was even given a date for his court appearance.

City staff later clarified the seven-figure sum had been a “placeholder” which was automatically generated by court computer software.

He told WSAV-TV: “‘$1.4 million,’ the lady told me on the phone. I said, ‘This might be a typo’ and she said, ‘No sir, you either pay the amount on the ticket or you come to court on December 21 at 1.30pm’.”

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Officials said the actual fine was likely to be up to $1,000 (£821), but said a judge would determine the final amount.

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They added that Mr Cato must also appear in court because of the high speed he was travelling at.

A spokesman for Savannah’s city government, said: “We do not issue that placeholder as a threat to scare anybody into court, even if this person heard differently from somebody in our organisation.”

He added that the court was “currently working on adjusting the placeholder language to avoid any confusion.”

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