Internal records detail how multiple fake websites were in operation, with a new version appearing not long after the Road Safety Authority (RSA) issued a public warning.

The most fines issued among the 21 Garda divisions were to motorists in the Louth/Cavan/Monaghan division, with 505, approximately 1 in 10 of all number plate offences detected to date.

The research also found that more than half of drivers do not have equipment in their car which could prove vital if they become unintended pedestrians, regardless of the time of year.