NUMBERS of fines issued to motorists using hand-held telephones in Bradford have collapsed in the last two years despite the acknowledged safety risk to road users, the Telegraph & Argus can reveal today.

Officers themselves blame the situation on the savage cuts which have left the force with a 20 per cent reduction in officer numbers and recently seen the roads policing unit's budget slashed by a quarter.

Numbers of drivers fined by city based police crashed by about 60 per cent, with officers handing out 156 fines last year compared to 405 in 2012.

West Yorkshire Police's roads policing unit have also seen numbers tumble, with 2001 drivers fined across the county last year compared to 3,796 the previous year.

Over two years, numbers of fines issued by those officers were down by around a third.

The force's Police Federation branch, which represents rank and file officers, believes the reduction is a consequence of budget cuts.

Chairman Nick Smart told the T&A: "It is symptomatic of the cuts and cuts have consequences."

Tackling such incidents and fining offenders was an element of the 'pro-active' work done by officers, but they were increasingly in demand to react to incidents, meaning they had other priorities.

"Keeping people safe on the roads and being pro-active is an element that is diminishing," he said, "These statistics are indicative of a service under pressure."

West Yorkshire Police Inspector Joanne Field, who leads West Yorkshire Police's Roads Policing Unit, said: ‘‘Driving while using a hand-held mobile phone is illegal and places yourself and other road users in danger.

‘‘The law banning the use of hand-held phones while driving has been in place for more than a decade now and we have seen a steady decline both locally and nationally in the number of those being prosecuted so the message is getting through.

‘‘Alongside our enforcement we also regularly raise awareness of the dangers associated with using a phone will driving. During the last six months a series of dedicated Twitter messages highlighting the dangers has reached in excess of 2.8 million people.’’

Road safety charity Brake, based in Huddersfield, said: "We hope that the decrease in tickets issued in Bradford for mobile phone use is an indication that more drivers are realising it is never okay to use their phone at the wheel.

"However, with the latest road casualty statistics showing a four per cent increase in deaths and serious injuries on Britain’s roads, we need police forces to prioritise roads policing to ensure drivers who risk the lives of others are caught and punished.”

Bradford East MP David Ward, who has campaigned over motoring issues including the cost of insurance in the city, said he believed the statistics showed police had been successful in tackling what had been an "epidemic" and showed reductions in crime were possible while cuts were made.

Mark Burns-Williamson, West Yorkshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner, said: “The large reduction in offences over time is promising and testament to the on-going good work by West Yorkshire Police and our partners who, as well as enforcing the law, raise awareness wherever possible of both the implications to the driver and to the safety of other road users which can be devastating.”

But in a snapshot survey by the T&A in Bradford city centre found many drivers were still willing to flout the law by using their hand-held mobile phones at the wheel.