POLICE have issued a £30 fixed penalty tickets to a string of South Cheshire drivers for not clearing their car windscreens properly during the icy weather over the past week.

Officers says they were alarmed by the number of motorists who risked driving 'blind' during the snow and ice.

They stopped cars with windscreens partly obscured by frost and side windows with virtually no visibility.

One Targeted Patrol Team Officer, PC John Hughes, said: 'I have been out during the early part of the rush hour over the past few mornings and I have issued half a dozen fixed penalty tickets and given a similar number of war nings.

'Some of the cars I stopped only had a very small area of the screen cleared. Others were defrosting as they went along, but that isn't good enough.

'The law requires drivers to have a full view ahead. It's an offence, with a £30 fine, if you haven't.

'It is also very dangerous. Pedestrians are particularly at risk. If a driver has no peripheral vision and someone steps out to cross the road in front of the vehicle there is a very strong chance of a collision.'

PC Hughes added: 'People need to think about this. You could kill or seriously injure someone just because you haven't taken the trouble defrost the car or clear the snow off it before you set out. Alternatively, you could be the casualty yourself.

'All it takes is a can of de-icer, a scraper and a few minutes of your time.'