A study by Highways England suggests emergency refuge areas on smart motorways are being abused by drivers using them to go to the toilet or have a rest.

The Sun reports it found 82% of cars stopped in the bays weren't for emergencies ' putting other drivers in need in danger of being stranded in a live lane.The analysis over a 10-day period of traffic on the M25 also found 91% of HGV stops between junctions 5-7 and 23-27 were not emergencies.The paper quotes a Highways England spokesman as saying, 'During ERA monitoring, one stop every two hours per ERA was observed. Non-emergency use was judged to be 82 per cent. In 3 per cent of all stops the Emergency Refuge Telephone was used and in 7 per cent of all stops a Highways England Traffic Officer attended.'