POLICE have issued 20 reports of traffic offences during a road safety operation targeting distracted driving - including mobile phone use.

In Scarborough, between 11.30am and 2.30am on Tuesday (March 22), North Yorkshire Police officers from the Roads Policing Group, Neighbourhood Policing Team and Response stopped the drivers for a range of offences.

As well as using a mobile phone whilst driving, Traffic Offence Reports were also issued for not being in proper control of a vehicle and eight warnings were given for other motoring offences.

One vehicle was seized for having no insurance.

Traffic Constable Jamie Lord, from the Road Safety Team, said: “This successful targeted activity was run under Operation Boundary, North Yorkshire Police’s dedicated road safety and enforcement operation.

“As a strategic priority for the force, we’re working hard to make our roads safer and reduce the number of casualties.

“Our education and enforcement approach revolves around the ‘Fatal 5’ traffic offences – careless driving, drink and drug driving, not wearing a seatbelt, excessive speeding, and distracted driving which includes mobile phone use.

This was the last aspect that was part of the police's latest operation, as new and much stricter legislation is coming into effect this Friday (March 25) regarding the use of mobile phones whilst driving.

“We’ll be on the look-out for motorists across North Yorkshire and York who wilfully ignore the law and put themselves and others at great risk on our roads," said TC Lord.

The new legislation takes into account the evolving technology of smart phones since the original ‘hand-held’ offence was introduced in 2003.