AN 80 per cent drop in motorists being caught illegally using mobile phones while driving has been blamed on a cut in traffic officers.

MPs and road safety campaigners have called for a new county-wide campaign to catch drivers using the distracting devices behind the wheel.

MORE TOP STORIES:

They have joined Lancashire Police Federation chairwoman Rachel Baines in calling for police chiefs to reverse the reduction in traffic officers.

Nationwide the number of motorists caught using a mobile phone behind the wheel has fallen by 40 per cent, from 177,900 to 93,606 between 2011/12 and 2015/16.

In the Lancashire the fall in motorists using mobiles was even steeper, despite a slight spike last year. In 2011/12, 6,029 motorists in the county were caught driving while on the phone. This fell to 4,774 in 2012/13, 2,559 in 2013/14 and just 971 in 2014/15.

In 2015/16 the figure rose slightly to 1,093, which Sergeant Baines dismissed as ‘a statistical blip’.

More than two thirds of police forces across the UK recorded a drop in the number of drivers being stopped for mobile phone use since 2011.

Jane Willetts, from the Police Federation of England and Wales, said there were now fewer than 4,000 officers policing the roads, half the figure in 2000. Sgt Baines said: “There has been a significant fall in the number of dedicated traffic officers policing Lancashire’s roads. This is one of the results.

“We need more officers to tackle this growing problem of phone use while driving which can cause accidents, injuries and deaths. The very slight increase in the number of drivers stopped over the last two years is a statistical blip.”

Between 2012 and 2014 the number of traffic officers in the county fell from 171 to 142 before further major budget cuts. A force spokesman was unable to update the figures yesterday.

Blackburn road safety campaigner Ann Hannon, whose 22-year-old son Matthew died in a high-speed accident in 2006, said: “It’s terrible to see so many people using mobile phones behind the wheel.They are fatal accidents waiting to happen.

“The cut in traffic officers is clearly part of the reason for the rise in people doing this and the fall in the number stopped by police. Lancashire Police need to invest in more dedicated traffic patrols to enforce this and other road safety laws.”

Burnley MP Julie Cooper said: “Driving using a hand-held mobile phone is very dangerous.

“The government needs to give the police the money to employ more traffic officers to stop this dangerous practice. There is a clear link between the two figures.”

Hyndburn MP Graham Jones said: “Clearly the effort put in by the police to tackle this issue five years ago had a deterrent effect. While I welcome the rise in the numbers stopped in the last two years, it is clear a new campaign is needed to stop people using these devices while driving.”

A spokesperson for Lancashire Police said: “Using a mobile phone while driving is extremely dangerous and can cost lives. It only takes a few seconds distraction from a mobile to cause a collision, which can have fatal consequences.

“All police officers have the powers to stop any motorist who is thought to be breaking traffic regulations. This means that when any police officer, not just those on dedicated road policing teams, witness someone using a mobile phone while driving they will be dealt with.”

Motorists caught using a handheld phone are given three penalty points and a minimum fine of £100, but this is set to be increased to six points and £200.

Department for Transport figures show that a driver impaired or distracted by their phone was a contributory factor in 492 accidents in Britain in 2014, including 21 that were fatal and 84 classed as serious.

Nick Lloyd, of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, said: “Enforcement is only effective if people believe there is a very real risk of being caught.”, hence the importance of more roads policing to eradicate this dangerous and anti-social activity.”

Alice Bailey, communications advisor for road safety charity Brake, said: “Road traffic officers have too often been seen as a soft option for cuts, but they are an essential part of the service and save lives.”