Forty vehicles stopped in latest operation to crackdown on motoring offences

Officers checked 40 vehicles and made four arrests as part of the latest operation to crackdown on motoring offences.

Operation Utah – a multi-agency day of action – is designed to identify and tackle road users putting other motorists at risk – either by driving illegally or by driving vehicles not up to a safe standard.

The road safety operation took place on Tuesday, 31 August, at the Driver and Vehicle Standard Agency (DVSA) weighbridge and test site at Newport’s Coldra roundabout.

The operation included officers from the roads policing unit, the dog section, rural crime team, we don’t buy crime team, special constabulary, response officers, and staff volunteers.

Officers teamed up with partners from the DVSA, Go Safe, The National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service and The Equipment Register (TER).

Throughout the course of the day, the operation saw:

• 40 vehicles stopped in total for checks
• Four men arrested – including two men on suspicion of drug driving and one man on suspicion of possession of a psychoactive substance with intent to supply
• 19 traffic offence reports (TORs) issued including three for having an insecure load, three for not wearing a seatbelt, one for using a mobile phone at the wheel and four for no insurance
• four vehicles seized for driving without a licence or insurance
• two drivers reported for no tax
• one stolen trailer recovered and one stolen car recovered
• Go Safe recorded 40 motorists driving above the speed limit
• DVSA issued 22 drivers with immediate roadworthiness prohibitions

PC Sally Davies said:

“We’re committed to increasing the safety of all road users in Gwent and Operation Utah is one of the ways in we are taking action to tackle motoring offences. I hope the results from this operation send a clear message that driving irresponsibly or not maintaining the condition of your vehicle is unacceptable and you will be dealt with robustly.

“I would like to thank our partners for working with us on this operation to make the roads in our communities as safe as possible.

“We all have a role to play in ensuring the safety of other road users – I would urge all motorists to drive carefully, responsibly and within the limits of the law and to ensure their vehicles are well-maintained at all times.”