Durham Police catch lorry driver using phone 'at speed'

Officers spotted the driver of a 26-tonne lorry using a phone on the A1(M)

A lorry driver was among several motorists caught on their mobile phones as part of a police crackdown.

Durham Police used an unmarked HGV to snare 11 suspected offenders in a four-day operation.

One man was given a ticket after driving a 26-tonne lorry on the A1(M) while using his phone.

The force also caught drivers reading paperwork, not wearing seatbelts and driving under the influence.

It said it would not stop deterring drivers "until the message finally gets through".

Insp Kev Salter, of Durham Roads Unit, said: "Each of the drivers we dealt with had their own excuses for doing what they were doing but not one of them would have held up had somebody lost their life."

'Real-life consequences'

The force said the 11 drivers were either given a ticket, summons to court, or had been arrested.

Mr Salter said it should serve as a warning to those thinking about such actions.

"It's not an exaggeration. Whether it's a quick phone call here or a text message there, we see the real-life consequences all too often.

"Distracted driving kills people, and we aren't going to stop hammering that message home until every driver on our roads understands the weight of that reality."

The force is continuing to urge drivers to submit footage of potential driving offences to them online.

In 2021, three people were killed on the A1(M) near Durham by lorry driver, Ion Nicu Onut who had been using his phone at the wheel.

The force said it hoped that tragic case would act as a warning to others.