Ref. 31132-45A Swindon solicitor was among 80 people caught flouting traffic laws in a crackdown on disobedient drivers.

Defending motorists accused of illegal conduct on the roads is all in a day's work for Chris Smyth, but yesterday it was he who found himself on the wrong side of the law for failing to wear his seatbelt.

Mr Smyth and dozens of others were given £30 on-the-spot fines in a major police operation that also targeted people using their mobile phones while driving.

Mr Smyth, who was caught in Wootton Bassett Road, Swindon, declined to comment on his offence.

But Richard Neave, one of the drivers stopped for using his mobile, said: "It's ruined my morning but the police are just doing their job."

"I didn't think what I was doing and I'm living in the clouds half the time," added the 62-year-old from Penhill.

Using a mobile phone without a hands-free kit while driving has been illegal since December of last year.

Research by the Department of Transport suggests that talking on a mobile while driving affects a driver in a similar way to drinking a moderate amount of alcohol.

Not wearing seatbelts is also regarded as a big safety problem. In 2003 there were 13 fatalities on Swindon's roads, of which one in five involved people who were not wearing seatbelts.

So far this year there have been eight road deaths in Swindon, and police fear the end-of-year total will exceed last year's.

Both seatbelt and mobile phone offences are punishable by a £30 fixed penalty notice.

The penalty is currently non-endorsable meaning no points are added to the driver's licence.

But the Government is considering changing the law so offenders would receive a fine of £60 and have three points added to their licence.

Yesterday the police set up beside Wootton Bassett Road before moving on to County Road. They also employed mobile units to drive around the Swindon area.

By the end of the day officers had fined 60 people for failing to wear their seatbelts and 20 for using a mobile phone while driving.

PC Paul Fisher of Swindon police said he was pleased that the operation had dealt with so many motorists.

He added: "The number of people still not wearing their seatbelts is of concern to us, bearing in mind the impact it can have in serious accidents. But it's encouraging to see that mobile use is not as much of a problem as we thought it was.

"It suggests the Government's publicity campaign has had some effect.

"But people still need to bear in mind that talking on a phone has been proven to have a detrimental effect on the driver, and could be the cause of a collision."

Andy Tate