An Essex road safety leader is urging motorists and cyclists to use camera footage to report poor driving throughout the county.

Mick Green, manager of Extra Eyes, made a plea for more road users to report offences after 11 drivers were handed more than 50 penalty points in the county in July 2022.

A twelfth driver was disqualified after the Extra Eyes team, supported by the Safer Essex Roads Partnership, hauled the drivers before magistrates in Colchester on July 27.

The Extra Eyes scheme uses dashcam and cycle camera footage to convict drivers who pull dangerous or illegal manoeuvres on roads in Essex.

Mr Green confirmed all of the drivers pleaded guilty at the July 27 court hearing.

He said: "Extra Eyes is a way in which the public can help us to keep our roads in Essex safe.

"These offences were reported to us because drivers with dash cams captured incidents of poor and dangerous driving and told us about them, giving us an opportunity to investigate and identify drivers whose driving posed a risk to the safety of other road users.

"Our officers can’t be everywhere, that’s why I’d encourage everyone to help us tackle road-related offences and any criminal activity on our roads by supporting our #SummerRoadSafetyEssex campaign and tell us what you know."

The Safer Essex Roads Partnership team and Essex Police outlined some of the convictions.

These include a close-pass incident in Epping, which took place on the B181 in January. A motorist twice overtook a cyclist and drove too close to the rider, forcing them to swerve off the single carriageway.

The rider was unharmed and the driver was sentenced to six penalty points and ordered to pay £543.

Three motorists drove the wrong side of "keep left" bollards in Southend, Rettendon, near South Woodham Ferrers and Leigh-on-Sea in December 2021 and January 2022.

In total, they received 14 penalty points and were ordered to pay costs of £812.

On the A120 near Colchester, a motorist in a car forced an HGV driver to pull into a hard shoulder to escape an incident. They then followed the HGV driver when it returned to the road.

Magistrates handed the car driver six penalty points and an £800 fine.

Residents can file Extra Eyes reports if they spot driving offences anywhere in Essex: https://saferessexroads.org/extraeyes/