More than 50 motorists were stopped by police in the first couple of hours of a campaign against drivers using mobile phones, or not wearing their seat belts.

The blitz began on Monday and involves the use of mobile cameras to identify drivers using phones, and drivers and passengers not belted up.

The Kent and Medway Safety Camera Partnership and Kent Police are working together on the scheme which has been operating in the Dover and Folkestone area, In the first two hours officers stopped more than 40 people not wearing seat belts and four mobile phone users.

A mobile phone offence carries a £60 fine and three points on the driving licence and a seatbelt offence results in a £30 fine. The driver will be fined if children under 16 are not restrained correctly.

All safety camera sites throughout the area are being monitored this week and anyone spotted on camera using a phone or not wearing a seat belt will be stopped by the police.

Camera partnership spokeswoman Katherine Barrett said: “Our safety cameras are at locations where people have been killed or seriously injured.

“So by reducing the number of offences committed at these sites we hope to lower casualties even further.

“We are not coy about our operations and all the camera locations and statistics can be seen at www.kmscp.org”

Ch Insp Roscoe Walford, head of roads policing, said: “There are four main factors that contribute to collisions that end with serious consequences.

“They are speeding, being distracted while driving, such as talking on the phone, not wearing seat belts and drink driving.”

n For more information about seat belt law and child restraints visit http://www.dft.gov.uk/think