Highways Agency officers will set up diversions after accidents

Up to 40 Highways Agency officers will ease the burden on police by patrolling round the clock to keep traffic moving.

They will be based at a new regional traffic control centre at junction 39 of the M1 near Wakefield.

Control room operators will liaise with police to speed up clear-up work after accidents and monitor emergency phones.

Their duties will also include removal of debris, stopping and directing traffic and implementing temporary road closures.

Fewer crashes

Ch Insp Gary Parker from West Yorkshire Police's road policing team, said: "As a result of the increased presence on the motorways there should be improved road safety with fewer fatal, serious and slight injury collisions.

"It will also free up police resources to target criminality by transferring non-core police roles to the Highways Agency."

The new service will cover 100 miles of motorway on the M1, M62, M621, M606 and A1.

It will be co-ordinated from the Wakefield centre and four satellite stations across the county, which have cost a total of �7.8m to build.

The West Yorkshire launch is the first phase of a regional roll-out, which will see traffic officers introduced in South Yorkshire in January 2006, East Yorkshire in early spring 2006 and North Yorkshire in late spring 2006.