A police ‘spy in the cab’ operation on the M1 netted more than 50 reckless drivers illegally using mobile phones at the wheel.

The offenders were caught during a five-day operation which saw 59 vehicles stopped in West Yorkshire.

From Monday, November 6, the force began filming motorists from an unmarked lorry as part of Operation Tramline , a national joint initiative between police forces and Highways England.

During the week of action there were 27 offences for driving while using a hand-held mobile phone and six motorists were stopped for not being in proper control of their vehicle.

Highways England released this image of a lorry driver checking his phone while his foot was on his dashboard

Forty-one drivers of HGVs were stopped and eight offences were recorded for insecure loads, 15 fixed penalty notices were issued and 40 traffic offence reports were issued.

Sgt Steve Suggitt said: “This operation was not about penalising HGV or any other type of commercial vehicle driver, it’s about keeping our roads safe for everyone and making people aware of road safety.

“Driving any fully loaded commercial vehicle carries an additional burden of responsibility and this is about making drivers aware of those responsibilities and reducing road casualties.

“The consequences of taking your eyes off the road, even for a matter of seconds, can be devastating, even more so if you are at the wheel of a lorry or other large vehicle.

West Yorkshire Police rolling out operation to catch dangerous drivers - from unmarked lorries

“At 30mph a vehicle travels 100ft in 2.3 seconds. That’s equivalent to the length of Boeing 737 aircraft. HGVs are potential killing machines.

“The message is simple. Keep your phones out of reach and out of sight.”