POLICE stopped nearly 200 drivers in Chigwell as part of a safety crackdown on Friday, in response to a huge increase in road deaths.

There has been a 220 per cent rise in deaths on Epping Forest roads over the past four months, compared with the same period last year, and a 150 per cent rise in serious injuries.

Officers pulled motorists over from 8am to 6pm on Manor Road, prosecuting nearly 150 people for not wearing a seatbelt, 23 for using their mobile phone while driving and giving 50 people warnings.

Sergeant Dave Martin said: “Something as simple as not wearing a seatbelt, even in a minor or low-speed crash, could result in death.”

Police also used number plate recognition to identify people who had committed driving offences.