DRIVERS with dashcams can now upload video evidence of reckless driving in Worcestershire to a new police website.

West Mercia Police is encouraging people to report dangerous driving by submitting footage to the National Dashcam Safety Portal.

A police officer will review the clip, which could show illegal overtaking, drivers using their phones or ignoring traffic lights, and make follow-up enquiries.

Civil rights and privacy campaigners have warned that the measure could lead to a culture of 'citizen surveillance', although the company behind the portal has denied that this is the intention.

Supt Paul Moxley, head of operations at West Mercia Police, said: "People take risks on the road through fear of not getting caught and a lack of consequence.

"The National Dashcam Safety Portal is a tool that can be used by all road users; drivers, cyclists, pedestrians, horse riders and motorcyclists.

"I am confident that with the help of other road users, this technology will deter people from making poor choices on the road and help make our roads safer for all."

But a spokesman for the campaign group Big Brother Watch said: "The police are asking the public to do their job, and in fact to do so by always recording their journeys.

"It is true that, in rare cases, dashcam footage can help investigations but it is questionable whether that merits encouraging motorists to constantly film each other.

"Whilst everyone wants safe roads, we should be cautious to avoid breeding a culture of citizen surveillance and suspicion.”

The police initiative, named Operation Snap, is being carried out in partnership with dashcam manufacturer Nextbase, which hosts the website.

Nextbase rejects Big Brother Watch's claims that the scheme could lead to 'citizen surveillance'.

A spokesman for the company said its dashcams protect their owners in the event of an incident that is not their fault and are not intended as continuous recording devices.  Richard Browning, the director of Nextbase, said: "This is not about small transgressions, it is about catching those very high risk drivers. Incidents have to be of sufficient severity for the uploader to be willing to go to court and this is made very clear on the portal.

"Due to the laborious process of uploading a video and the serious onus on the submitter as a witness to attend court, we believe this will mean only the most serious offences are uploaded. As a secondary filter, it is still in the hands of the police to pursue the case, using their discretion as they see fit.

"Ultimately this is about road safety and saving lives, it’s about being preventative and stopping dangerous drivers causing injury or death before that scenario occurs."

To report dangerous driving go on https://www.nextbase.co.uk/national-dash-cam-safety-portal/