These are the cars most likely to have dodgy number plates in Blackpool - and it's bad news for BMW and Audi drivers

Just 41 motorists were handed Traffic Offence Reports (TORs) for using their phones, while 54 were slapped with £100 fines for having illegal plates, figures released under freedom of information laws revealed.

That's despite one in six admitting having a conversation or sending a message on a handheld device, sparking alarm from safety campaigners, and an increase in traffic cops across the county.

Four years ago, a media offensive and crackdown were launched as the Government moved to increase the sentence for using phones behind a wheel.Those caught now face six penalty points and a fine of £200, up from the £100 it was hiked to at the time.

Insp Andy Trotter, from the Road Policing Unit, said then: “The consequences of using a mobile while behind the wheel are huge.

“It leaves families devastated and it must stop.”

And PC Matt Burn, who took The Gazette out on the roads, said: “The fact we can turn flashing blue lights on behind them and they don’t even realise says it all.”

In the space of just 60 minutes over lunchtime on a Tuesday, four rogue drivers were pulled over by an unmarked police car.

Two of those were also reported for speeding, while the fourth motorist found themselves in hot water after being filmed driving at 49mph through a 30mph zone.

PC Burn, who had been on the force for 15 years, said those who do use their mobiles are more likely to also speed, fail to stop at red lights, and commit other traffic offences.

“It’s a general lack of respect for other road users and the law,” he said. “Anyone who is not on the phone finds it annoying to see others on theirs, until they do it, and then it’s suddenly okay."

And while an RAC report suggested a rising number of motorists are making calls, sending text messages, checking social media sites, and doing whatever else when they should be watching the road is increasing, PC Burn said it’s impossible to tell.

“The stats will be skewed because we might not be checking as many people as before because there’s not as many of us [traffic officers],” he added.

“Until you stand as a civilian and count them day after day, you cannot tell.”

By law, number plates - also known as licence plates - must show a vehicle's registration number correctly.

Letters or numbers cannot be rearranged, and they cannot be altered so they are hard to read, under threat of a maximum £1,000 fine.

Since 2017, more than 1,000 vehicles have been caught with dodgy plates across Lancashire.

Some 271 were BMWs, 210 Audis, 158 Volkswagens, 120 Fords, 64 Vauxhalls, 56 Land Rovers, 32 Hondas, 23 Range Rovers, 19 Nissans, 15 Minis, 14 Toyotas, 10 Skodas, 10 Kias, eight Citroens, six Hyndais, six Peugeots, five Fiats, five Mazdas, and four Suzukis.

Lancashire Police did not respond to a request for comment and more information.