THE A23 is officially the second most heavily policed road in the United Kingdom.

Data by Scrap Car Comparison has revealed the most heavily policed roads in the UK.

The report uses data from GPS navigation app Waze to reveal the most policed, accident prone and traffic jammed roads in 2021.

The most heavily policed road in the UK is Manchester's M60, which has an average of four police reports per mile on the 26-mile road.

The A23, which connects London and Brighton, has an average of three police reports per mile.

Police were reported on the 53-mile stretch of road 161 times through Waze between March and July this year.

The M20 in Kent, the M6 from Rugby to Dumfries and Galloway and the M26 from Liverpool to Yorkshire ranked third, fourth and fifth respectively.

London’s North Circular Road - the A406 - has ranked as the most traffic-ridden road in the UK, with six reported jams per mile.

Several A-roads made up the top ten UK roads with the most traffic jams, with the A31, A27, A2, A303 and A4 all ranking in the top ten, with the equivalent of one traffic jam per mile along the respective roads.

The A406, M42 and the M25 rank as the top three UK roads with the highest number of reported accidents.

The Waze app has over 100 million users across the globe, providing turn-by-turn navigation information alongside user-submitted travel times and route details – including road accidents and hazards.

Scrap Car Comparison managing director Dan Gick said the effect of lockdown on road usage has been “undeniable”.

“As restrictions lifted earlier this year, many of us returned to the roads to visit family, friends and places of work and leisure, as we enjoyed our freedom again,” he said.

“Whether you’re doing the school run or taking a road trip, Waze is a great app to report and alert other users to hazards, accidents and other potential delays to a journey, and it’s been really interesting to dive into the user-reported data from the past few months.

“It's clear to see that for many, we have now reached a ‘new normal’, with commuter traffic bringing back the delays that the likes of the M25 and London’s North Circular are widely known for.

“We hope that our extensive report helps some drivers to avoid delays, hazards and bring about a much calmer driving experience wherever possible.”

Further details and full findings can be found on the Scrap Car Comparison website.