Risky overtaking: This driver was sent on a driver improvement course costing £85. Video: West Mercia Police

MORE than 200 people whose bad driving has been recorded on dash cams have been ‘shopped’ by fellow motorists in Herefordshire.

Police have received 225 videos in the last year – sent in by angry drivers in the county who insist they show examples of careless or dangerous driving.

And delighted police say: Keep them coming.

They believe the system is helping to keep roads safer and have launched a new campaign to get more drivers to send in footage in an extension of Operation Snap.

Dangerous manoeuvre: Risky overtaking: This driver was sent on a driver improvement course costing £85. Video: West Mercia Police

Temporary roadside posters are being put up across the region highlighting how to upload videos to a dedicated website.

Of 3,000 submissions made to West Mercia Police in the last year, 225 have come from from Herefordshire.

Of those, seven drivers were summonsed to court and another 25 are still pending prosecution, six were issued fixed penalties, 34 went on driver awareness courses, and 89 received warnings.

There was no action taken in the other 60 or so cases.

Cutting across: Don't risk it. Video: West Mercia Police

Across West Mercia there have been 1,000 prosecutions and 1,000 warnings.

The public have always been able to report incidents of dangerous or unlawful driving, but Operation Snap, launched in the summer of 2018, uses evidence captured by dashcams and other devices as part of the reporting process.

It is supported by road safety charity Brake and Cycling UK.

A secure website allows drivers to submit digital footage showing potential traffic offences direct to the police.

It can range from driving dangerously or carelessly to overtaking on solid white lines, ignoring traffic lights or dangerous driving around other road users, such as horse riders and cyclists.

West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion said: “Fifty-four people died following road collisions last year in West Mercia, with a further 463 seriously injured.

"This initiative will deter people from making poor choices on the road and help make our roads safer for all.

Poor driving behaviour will not be tolerated.”

To submit footage visit www.westmercia.police.uk/operationsnap