Police have revealed they issued 80 traffic offence reports to HGV and car drivers during targeted patrols last week on the A1 in Lincolnshire.

The operation, which ran between Monday 18th and Thursday 21st January, was in partnership with Highways England.

Using the HGV cab owned by Highways England and driven by a Lincolnshire Police officer, another officer sits in the passenger seat and is able to look into the cabs and cars and identify any offences being committed.

The county's specialist operations officers were supported by the Safer Roads Team which is staffed by Special Constables.

When a driver is seen committing an offence, officers are deployed to stop the vehicle and deal with the driver.

The Highways England HGV cab allows a vantage point for our officers into the cabs of other HGVs, which are to some degree normally out of sight by virtue of their height.

Lincolnshire Police say most HGV drivers are professional and conscientious, they drive thousands of miles a year, keeping freight and goods moving on our roads.

They have worked hard during the last year keeping our shelves stocked and equipment etc available.

However, a small number continue to commit offences which the operation has revealed. Driving an HGV provides additional dangers with the types of vehicles involved. Stopping distances are increased and when things go wrong it can lead to devastating consequences. The tickets were issued over the full length of the A1 in Lincolnshire. The traffic reports were given to 53 drivers for not wearing a seatbelt, 18 for using a mobile phone, 2 for having no insurance, 2 for driver hour offences, 1 for not having a current MOT, 1 for a speeding offence, 1 for careless driving and unbelievably 1 for using a vehicle on a road while watching a television screen.

One driver had his car seized as he was a disqualified driver, he was also reported for driving while disqualified from holding a licence.

Police Sergeant Adie Scargill of the Lincolnshire Police Roads Policing Unit said: "We all rely on HGV drivers to fully concentrate on their driving and have proper control of their vehicles.

"This operation has shown we have work to do in this area and will continue to target the small number of drivers who are letting their profession down."

"This operation is another example of the great results our specialist operations department can have when working in partnership with other agencies, with the common goal of improving road safety in Lincolnshire.

"I would personally like to thanks my officers for their efforts and our colleagues in Highways England for their continued support but also a special thank-you for the Specials on the Safer Roads Team who give up their free time to assist with these operations and on a day to day basis to tackle road safety."