MIDDLE lane road hogs could soon be a thing of the past.Two new safety messages urging motorway drivers to 'keep left unless overtaking' and 'don't hog the middle lane' are currently being trialled on selected motorways across the county, including the M60 and M62.

The signs are designed to remind drivers to pull back safely into an inside lane after overtaking, in accordance with the Highway Code.

The trial is being backed by Greater Manchester Police. A spokesman said: 'The motorway system provides us with some of the safest motoring in the country. The safety comes from people being prepared to follow the rules of the road which are to stay in the left hand lane unless overtaking a slower moving vehicle.

'Sadly we often see people who hog the middle and outer lanes when there is absolutely no reason for them to be there and other motorists, out of sheer frustration, commit to unsafe overtaking manoeuvres.