UPDATE Friday 12.51pm: Of the 50 vehicles stopped yesterday, 27 were subjected to extra checks by the police, Worcestershire Trading Standards and HM Revenue and Customs.

While no drivers provided a positive breath test, a number of other offences and violations were detected including:

  • A white panel van was dealt with by HMRC for using red diesel and was subsequently fined more than £530 for the offence.
  • A trailer was seized, which is thought to have been stolen in Leominster in August 2011.
  • A driver was arrested on suspicion of driving while disqualified.
  • Two vehicles were dealt with for having no MOT and another for driving without insurance, which was seized.
  • Four intelligence-led drug searches took place, but nothing was found.

The operation, which ran from 10am to 4pm, was focused on the Worcester Ring Road A4440, where mobile ANPR (automatic number plate recognition) cameras were deployed to detect any vehicles linked to travelling criminality, while officers used their own observations to spot any other suspicious vehicles.

 

POLICE continued their Christmas crackdown on drink driving when officers stopped and tested nearly 60 drivers in Worcester.

As part of a police operation targeting driving offences, particularly drink driving, officers pulled over between 50 and 60 vehicles with all drivers being subjected to a breath test.

Fortunately, none of the drivers yesterday tested positive but since the drink-drive campaign was launched on December 1, 138 people across West Mercia and Warwickshire have been arrested for driving under the influence of drink or drugs.

According to figures from the Safer Roads Partnership, over the past three years 18 people lost their lives in West Mercia and Warwickshire and 171 were seriously injured after collisions where drink or drugs were recorded as a contributory factor.

Speaking during yesterday’s operation, Inspector Stuart Murphy said: “People drink the night before at office parties or at home but don’t realise if they are stopped in a car the next morning they will be over the legal limit.

“Even with the campaigns on the TV, people don’t realise or choose to ignore that they are over the limit and if caught will lose their licence and in extreme cases, go to prison.”

The Safer Roads Partnership, together with West Mercia and Warwickshire Police and other agencies, have been raising awareness of the consequences of drink driving and carrying out roadside checks throughout December.

The force-wide campaign supports the national month-long winter drink drive campaign that was launched on December 1 by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO).

Police forces throughout the UK are working this month to make sure the roads are safe for everyone this Christmas.

Yesterday, officers in Worcester were joined by representatives from partner agencies including Trading Standards and Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs to target other driving offences including rogue traders and people using red diesel.

At least one van was seized by HMRC for using red diesel and its trailer was seized by police, who suspected it to be stolen.

More details were expected to be released by police today.