Police stopped more than 60 motorists in Cheshire for not wearing seat belts during a week-long campaign.

The national European Traffic Police Network (TISPOL) campaign took place from March 13 to 19.

It targeted drivers who risked their own safety and that of others by not belting up.

Inspector Steve Griffiths of Cheshire Constabulary’s Roads Policing Unit said: “In the space of a week officers stopped and dealt with more than 60 motorists who failed to protect themselves by wearing a seat belt.

“It is this simple, if any of these people had been in a road traffic collision last week their risk of death would have dramatically increased and officers could have been delivering tragic news to their families.”

He stressed that it is ‘imperative’ that drivers and their passengers realise they are not invincible and are made fully aware of the huge risks and dangers they face.

Drivers and passengers who fail to wear seat belts in the front and back of vehicles are breaking the law.

Anyone caught not wearing a seat belt will receive a £100 fixed penalty notice. If prosecuted, the maximum fine is £500.

According to the government’s Think! website, an occupant of a vehicle is twice as likely to die in a crash if they do not wear a seat belt.