NUMBERS of motorists given fixed penalty notices for illegally using mobile phones on the road have collapsed by 80 per cent in Barnsley in the space of just four years.

South Yorkshire Police Federation say the reduction has corresponded to changes which have seen the number of roads policing officers drastically reduced.

South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner Dr Alan Billings said: "South Yorkshire Police are also providing alternative measures to help educate individuals caught texting or using a motorised vehicle.

"Awareness courses are now in place, similar to speeding awareness courses, aimed at educating people of the potentially serious dangers to the driver or other road users that can follow from not concentrating even for a few seconds."