Posted by Linda Davidson
People with caravan accessories may be among the motorists alarmed to learn the government has slashed the number of traffic police on Britain's roads.
Safe driving charity Brake has warned the move could lead to an increased tolerance for illegal driving and potentially make for a rise in traffic accidents and crimes.
It found numbers of traffic police have dropped by 11.6 per cent in the past five years as part of larger cuts to the policing system and the budget.
This is an especially crucial issue in Wales, where the number of traffic police has been cut by 37 per cent since 2007.
Julie Townsend, Brake's deputy chief executive, said: "It is crucial the government acts now to put a stop to these dramatic cuts in life-saving roads policing, by making this a national policing priority."
She added that road accidents can become a drain on the economy by slowing down commuters and stretching emergency services thin.
Transport minister Norman Baker recently announced plans to offer councils more autonomy over road works in an attempt to ease traffic congestion.
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