The widow of a man killed by a lorry driver who was using his mobile phone at the wheel has urged motorists to put their phones away.

Veronica Calin's husband Ion Calin died along with his friend and colleague Marian Olteanu when an HGV ploughed into their stationary car on the M271 in December 2015.

Two years later, Ms Calin is appearing in a video released by Hampshire Constabulary, highlighting the dangers of driving while using a mobile phone.

In the video, she says: "I have waited to come to terms [with Ion's death], but it doesn't get easier. It's something you don't come to terms with."

The video is part of a campaign organised by the National Police Chiefs' Council in which roads policing units will target drivers using hand-held mobile phones.

Speaking about the aftermath of the accident that killed her husband, Ms Calin said: "I feel like all our hopes and plans have just disappeared.

"I believe the worst thing was to have to wait for my children to come home from school and having to tell them the news.

"One of my boys has been very affected. I can see he is worrying too much because of the accident, he can't relax when he's in the car."

Video Loading

Her message to drivers tempted to look at their phones behind the wheel is simple: "There's nothing that important."

The police campaign will run from January 22 until January 28, and drivers caught using their phones will receive six points on their licence and a £200 fine.

A similar campaign in July 2017 led to 8,000 drivers being stopped and 2,595 offences detected nationwide.

Chief Constable Anthony Bangham, roads policing lead for the National Police Chiefs' Council, said: "Nearly a year on from legislation to toughen the sanctions for using a phone at the wheel, we are seeing some change in driver behaviour but there are still too many people underestimating the risk they take.

"If you glance at a phone for even 2.3 seconds while driving at 30mph you miss 100ft of road. That is the equivalent of the length of a Boeing 737."

Keep up to date with the latest news from around the county via the free Get Surrey app.

You can set up your app to see all the latest news and events from your area, plus receive push notifications for breaking news.

Available to download from the App Store or Google Play for Android.