A FORMER road death investigator with Hampshire and Isle of Wight police has begged people not to drive if they think their vision might be impaired.

John Apter, who has family links to the Isle of Wight, served as chair of the Hampshire Police Federation for eight years up until 2018 when he was voted to his current position as the chair of Police Federation for England and Wales.

A police officer of 27 years, Mr Apter took to Twitter yesterday to advise people to be cautious on the road

"Folks, I say this in all sincerity and as an important road safety issue," he wrote.

"If you're feeling unwell and your eyesight may be impaired do not drive your vehicle to test your ability to drive. It's not a wise move.

"As a former road death investigator with Hampshire police I have investigated many serious collisions, including fatalities.

"Some of these were caused by drivers with impaired vision, this is a serious issue.

"Do not drive if your eyesight is impaired or you feel unwell."

This warning message came following a statement by Prime Minister Boris John's adviser Dominic Cummings in which he said he took a 30 mile trip to Barnard Castle to test his vision.

Mr Cummings said: "My wife was very worried, particularly as my eyesight seemed to have been affected by the disease.

"She did not want to risk a nearly 300-mile drive with our child given how ill I had been.

"We agreed that we should go for a short drive to see if I could drive safely, we drove for roughly half an hour and ended up on the outskirts of Barnard Castle town.

"We did not visit the castle, we did not walk around the town.

"We parked by a river. My wife and I discussed the situation, we agreed that I could drive safely, we should turn around and go home."

Surrey Police's road policing unit also tweeted that anyone concerned about their eyesight should not drive.

It added: "A driver's vision is very important.

"If you have any concerns about your eyesight don't drive, until you've sought the advice of a qualified optician.

"A driver must be able to read a standard number plate from 20 metres.