POLICE are planning to clamp down on motorists who are "unfit" to drive because of old age or a host of medical complaints.

Senior officers say the roads could be made safer if drivers with conditions such as diabetes and glaucoma were made to surrender their licences.

The radical proposal has been welcomed by some safety groups, but Age Concern said it would be wrong to target older drivers when, proportionately, they were involved in far fewer accidents than less experienced motorists.

The police proposals were outlined in a presentation to Aberdeenshire councillors by Chief Inspector Elaine Logue.

She said an "innovative" new approach currently under discussion could mean the force working with the health service to identify drivers who were "unfit" to be behind the wheel.