“Where are the police officers for new roads policing fines?”

CARELESS drivers across England and Wales who hog lanes or tailgate can now be punished with on-the-spot police fines.

Under the new measures, officers can issue £100 fines and three points rather than taking drivers to court.

But the Police Federation of England and Wales suggested the initiative by the Department for Transport (DfT) had failed to take account of the cuts to the policing budget rolled out by the Home Office.

Ministers said it would make tackling problem motorists easier.

Fixed penalties for a number of offences, including using a phone or not wearing a seatbelt while driving, have also risen from £60 to £100.

Steve White, vice-chairman of the policing body, said: “It’s all very well for the DfT to come up with these new ideas when the Home Office are at the same time cutting the number of police around the country, which means a fall in the number of traffic police.

“The levels of fatalities are increasing on the roads while the number of police officers is at its lowest per 100,000 of population since the 1970s.”

Roads policing officers tended to be the first units to be cut when budgets were tightened, he added, and this would inevitably hamper their ability to enforce the new rules.

“The rules are a useful tool but if you haven’t got the officers to give out the tickets, it’s not going to make a difference,” he said.

“The DfT and the Home Office need to talk to each other.”

The new powers, which will allow police to issue fixed penalties on the spot, are designed to make it easier to deal with anti-social drivers.

According to the BBC, among the offences police are expected to focus on are driving too close to the vehicle in front, failing to give way at a junction, overtaking and pushing into a queue of traffic and being in the wrong lane and pushing into a queue on a roundabout.

Officers are also to be tasked with enforcing lane discipline, such as needlessly hogging the middle or outside lanes, inappropriate speed and wheel-spins, handbrake turns and other careless manoeuvres.

Mr White added: “Officer numbers are at an all-time low – the number of traffic officers alone has reduced from 7,000 to approximately 3,500.

“Going forward, it is essential that government departments work together to ensure that there is a joined up approach to tackling crime, in order to determine what is achievable with the resources we have.”