56 vehicles checked in major police crackdown on A41 in Shropshire

More than 50 vehicles were checked in a seven-hour crackdown on the A41 in Prees, near Whitchurch.

West Mercia Police conducted checks on the vehicles on Thursday as part of Operation Trivium – a multi-agency operation designed to tackle foreign national offenders who utilise the road networks.

Officers and staff from West Mercia Police conducted checks on 56 vehicles between 8.45am and 3.30pm, 19 of which were foreign vehicles.

A number of the vehicles checked were found to not be compliant with road legislations.

Two vehicles were seized for having no insurance, six were dealt with for defect tyre offences, two vehicles were overweight, one was issued a warning for its tinted windows, two had no excise license, seven vehicles were dealt with for lighting defects, and six were given immediate prohibitions.

A vehicle was also searched for drugs as part of the operation but with a negative result.

Representatives from HM Customs, Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) and Trading Standards also attended the operation.

One delayed prohibition was issued by VOSA, whilst HM Customs had a red diesel seizure and issued a £580 fine to the driver in connection with this.

Constable Daniel Yates, of the Operational Patrol Unit in Shropshire, said: "The operation conducted on Thursday was a great success, with 27 offences being recognised and dealt with by West Mercia Police.

"Road, traffic and vehicle offences will not be tolerated by West Mercia Police and I hope the operation indicates our determination to tackle these.

"Effective partnership working is a priority for our force and I would like to thank our partner agencies that were involved in the operation."

Operations such as this one are regularly carried out on Shropshire's major roads.

A university graduate checking emails and a mother running late to collect her child were among more than 100 drivers caught using their phone at the wheel by police in the Midlands in May.

In a week-long crackdown by officers across the Midlands, a total of 117 drivers were spotted making calls, texting or accessing the internet from their mobile phones.

Others caught in the police purge include those using their mobile phone as a navigation device to get them to their destination.

Many of the drivers were handed three points and a £100 fine while others were offered the chance to avoid that punishment by attending a driver improvement course.

Both marked and unmarked police vehicles from the Central Motorway Police Group and West Midlands Police patrolled the region's motorways, including the M54 in Shropshire, as well as A-roads during the clampdown between May 23 and 29.