Broome police have charged a suspended driver after he allegedly had cartons of beer buckled into car seats while children were unrestrained in the foot wells.

Officers said they made the discovery on Wednesday during a traffic patrol of the Great Northern Highway near Broome.

Police said several children, including a baby less than a year old, were lying on the laps of adults and in foot wells while cartons of beer were piled onto the seats.

A 27-year-old man has been charged with no authority to drive and failure to restrain a child.

Kimberley District Superintendent Allan Adam said he was not surprised by the incident.

“We do have problems up here in the Kimberley,” he said.

“It shows some of the attitudes of some of our road users in the way they see their priorities.

“We are doing our best to stamp it out through enforcement but we are also about to embark on public education, which is obviously needed in remote communities.”

Supt Adam said he had “serious concerns” about sly grogging in the area, where people transport alcohol into nearby dry Aboriginal communities that have liquor restrictions.

“This is the third traffic action we’ve had at that location with significant amounts of alcohol being conveyed along that route,” he said.

“We’ve also got some serious concerns around the number of people that are driving on suspended licences and also not restraining themselves and their passengers.

“And unfortunately on a large number of occasions those passengers are kids.”