Motorists are being warned not to use their mobile phones while driving after more than 40 people were caught using them to take pictures of a crash on the M1 this morning.

Bedfordshire Police has issued the warning after seeing 43 people videoing or taking pictures of the aftermath of a lorry crash which damaged the central reservation.

Nobody was seriously injured in the crash, which occurred at 6.40am between Junction 11-12 and has shut two lanes northbound and one southbound, but PC Mark West says motorists using their phones are putting their own and other people’s lives at risk.

“In just one hour we saw 43 people using their mobile phones while driving and attempting to take photos or videos of the collision,” said PC West from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, and Hertfordshire Roads Policing Unit.

“These irresponsible people, a mix of both car and lorry drivers, put their own lives and the lives of others at risk by using a phone at the wheel, and can expect a notice of intended prosecution to land on their door step imminently.

“Using a mobile phone is one of the fatal four, along with drink-driving, failing to wear a seatbelt, and speeding, and is never acceptable. That’s why we’re working hard to clamp down on these offences and making the roads of Bedfordshire safer for everyone.”