Three motorists who filmed the scene of a seven-vehicle crash which left a lorry driver in a critical condition have attended courses to avoid being fined.

Police have said owners of four vehicles were sent intended notices of prosecution after using their mobile phones to record the aftermath of the A14 accident.

The collision occurred at around 3.05pm on April 20 on the Stowmarket-bound carriageway between Bury St Edmunds and Rougham. It blocked the road for seven hours.

The Lithuanian lorry driver spent two months in hospital following the crash but has since returned to his homeland.

Although four registered vehicle owners were sent prosecution notices for filming the scene only three of those responsible have been traced, as one was leased from a hire firm.

Given the option of accepting a fixed penalty or attending a re-training course they chose the latter. They trio have since been on a What’s Driving Us course.

The driver of the hire vehicle is currently being tracked down.

Karen Willie, a spokeswoman for Suffolk Constabulary, said the three drivers who had been on the course are a 41-year-old from Nottingham, a 32-year-old from Bury St Edmunds and a 31-year-old from Ely, Cambridgeshire. The filming of the accident was met with a combination of annoyance and incredulity by police.

After the crash Inspector David Giles from the Suffolk and Norfolk Serious Collision Investigation Team said: “I have never experienced this stood at the side of roads.

“Several people drove past and were clearly filming from mobiles or devices.”

Asked what he felt about the modern-day phenomenon of filming or taking pictures of incidents which could even have tragic consequences Insp Giles added: “Macabre. Why are you filming?

“You don’t know if it was a fatal accident so people are potentially filming the scene of someone’s death.

“There’s also the likelihood of other collisions being caused. There were numerous near misses. You could hear vehicles sounding their horns and occasional skids.

“That was just adding to the mayhem.

“The really disappointing thing to me was the number of commercial drivers involved who are up and down the road all the time and get frustrated with delays, but are ultimately contributing to that.

“It’s one thing to be having a glance, but people had got their eyes completely off the road and were operating a device. I speak for all police officers when I say it is massively upsetting and annoying that people do it.”