A South Hams police officer is warning motorists to check their tyre tread in the winter months.

Sgt Olly Tayler, of Devon and Cornwall Police, issued the advice after ticketing a driver with a heavily worn tyre.

The Ivybridge officer posted a picture of the bald tyre on Twitter.

He wrote: “If you insist on bringing yourself to my attention can I offer a top tip?

“Make sure you’ve got at least some tread on your tyres! Ticket issued!”

If you are caught driving with dangerous or defective tyres you could receive a fine of up to £2,500 and three points on your licence.

The fine is accumulated per tyre - so four worn tyres could mean £10,000 and 12 penalty points.

The legal tyre tread depth for cars in the UK and Europe is 1.6mm across the central three-quarters of the tyre.

But safety experts recommend a minimum tread depth of 3mm for tyre replacement.

This can be checked using a 20p coin inserted into the tread grooves on the tyre.

If you can’t see the outer band on the coin, your tyres are above the legal limit.

Drivers are particularly vulnerable to black ice or aquaplaning in puddles if they are driving on bald tyres.

Sgt Tayler’s post received a large response and was shared and liked more than 200 times.

One user wrote: “Some people really need to get a grip!”

Another wrote: “Madness, especially at this time of year!”

Another officer quipped: “Were you patrolling Silverstone?”