Video - Sheffield police secretly nick phone drivers - including one watching television – from a bus

Officers nicked 12 in an hour-and-a-half - almost every seven minutes - including one watching television, one who nearly rammed a car at 30mph and one who took a roundabout notorious for accidents. The vast majority of those stopped were in free moving traffic, police state, they also found two young children who were not wearing seat belts.

In a video of the operation they can be heard saying: “We’ve got another one now.” And: “He’s still going, tapping on his screen, his thumbs are going at a rate.”

Insp Kev Smith, of Sheffield North West Neighbourhood Policing Team, said phone drivers were four times more likely to be killed or seriously injured in a crash and buses gave the “perfect vantage point”. Offenders get six points and a £200 fine but the “particularly reckless” ones are taken to court.

He warned: “We want to create a credible, constant threat of prosecution to induce driver behavioural change and make our roads safer, and that is why this operation will continue to run across Sheffield on an ongoing basis. If you were on your phone while driving on Wednesday 1 March, don’t be surprised if a £200 fine with a six point licence endorsement lands on your door mat."

Buses are ‘borrowed’ from First and look like any other, he added.

Insp Smith defended ‘Operation Topdeck’ insisting road safety was a top priority in the community.

He added: "People sometimes ask why we’re prioritising this, but the reasoning is clear. We have surveyed our local community about what they wanted us to concentrate on, and road safety was one of the top three priorities for 85 per cent of the people we surveyed. Last year, across the force, we stopped 386 drivers for using their mobile phone while driving. This demonstrates how widespread this issue is, and sadly, it does have serious and sometimes fatal consequences.”

Operation Top Deck was pioneered by West Midlands Police in 2018. Officers capture video evidence using a bodyworn camera or phone.