A total of sixteen tickets were handed out in a matter of hours as part of a police traffic operation earlier this week.

The operation was carried out by officers from the Wigan and Leigh tutor unit around the Aspull and Standish areas on Friday.

This came about after repeated complaints from residents about road safety in the area.

A Greater Manchester Police spokesperson said: “Within a couple of hours, sixteen tickets were issued for various offences including not wearing a seatbelt, using a phone whilst driving and speeding.

“The highest speed registered was 47mph in a 30mph zone. As well as tickets being issued, numerous drivers will be summonsed to court as they already have a number of points on their licence.

“Officer's will continue to educate drivers on their attitude towards road safety and will prosecute those who don't follow the rules.

“If you feel there are any area's within your community that are having issues with road safety matters, please let us know for future operations.”

Anyone who has any concerns about road safety or about anti-social behaviour or crime in their areas has been encouraged to call police on 101 or 999 in the event of an emergency.

Alternatively, witnesses can call independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.