Police now using unmarked HGV cabs to catch out drivers on the M6

More than 400 vehicles were stopped and 387 offences recorded in a week of action by police and National Highways.

Police officers caught 98 drivers using their mobile phone illegally at the wheel and 100 people not wearing a seatbelt during the recent week of action, tagged Operation Vertebrae,

In total there were 412 vehicles stopped by police using the unmarked cabs, supplied by National Highways, including 180 HGVs and 122 private vehicles.

Action taken ranged from words of advice or fixed penalty notices to traffic offences being reported and six arrests.

Inspector Dean Caswell, of Central Motorway Policing Group (CMPG) said: "This operation enabled officers and partners to prevent the catastrophic consequences of irresponsible driving and get unsafe vehicles off our roads.

"The intensification period of Operation Vertebrae allowed officers to further police one of the country’s busiest motorways, but also enabled CMPG officers, the public and our partners to develop an increased understanding of how we can collectively ensure our roads are safe.

"By targeting dangerous drivers, we can look to save lives and reduce the amount of collisions and incidents we see on our roads on a daily basis.”

National Highways head of road safety Jeremy Phillips, said: "Our goal, through exercises such as Operation Vertebrae, is to make our roads safer whether that is by encouraging motorists to consider their driving behaviour or ensuring those that put people at risk are fully aware that they can be spotted and will be dealt with by our enforcement partners.

"It is always disappointing when we learn of drivers putting themselves and others at risk through unsafe driving such as using a mobile phone at the wheel. But through this week of action police were able to identify almost 400 offences and halt drivers who could have caused collisions and harm if they hadn’t been pulled over."

In the Midlands, there were 123 offences recorded by Warwickshire Police including 63 people not wearing a seatbelt and 19 using a mobile phone. While Central Motorway Police Group recorded 127 offences including 52 people using their mobile phone at the wheel and 31 not wearing a seatbelt.