Wiltshire Police deal with more than 140 roads offences in just 12 hours

Officers from the Roads Policing Unit dealt with more than 140 offences on Wiltshire’s road network in just 12 hours on Wednesday.

Around 20 officers stopped drivers flouting the rules across Wiltshire, resulting in fines being issued and drivers reported to court for a variety of offences including:

• Children carried in a vehicle in a dangerous manner
• Failing to wear a seat belt
• Using a vehicle when there is a danger of injury due to position and security of load
• Using a mobile phone while driving.

A man in his 40s was arrested in Swindon on suspicion of drug driving, while another driver  - an elderly man - was taken to the Great Western Hospital for assessment following a minor collision.

Officers also attended a crash near a school in Calne, several careless driving offences and dealt with speeders across the county.

Sgt Will Ayres, who organised the event, said: "To have dealt with more than 140 offences in just 12 hours is really impressive by the team and I hope this sends a clear message to the public that we are committed to targeting poor standards of driving.  

"I think drivers can become complacent – driving, for most people, is something that they do day in, day out, but I cannot stress enough just how important it is that when you’re behind the wheel of a vehicle, you give the road your full attention at all times."

Sgt Ayres said the most 'shocking' cases from the day was an incident in Swindon in which a driver was reported for the offence of ‘using a vehicle when there is a danger of injury due to position and security of load’.

"His car was loaded with large pieces of wood over the top of a newborn baby in the rear of the vehicle," Sgt Ayre said.

"It doesn’t bare thinking about what could have happened had there been a collision, or the driver had been forced to take evasive action."

Speed checks were conducted alongside a Community Speedwatch Enforcement Officer with 10 people reported for excess speed offences.

Community reassurance and vehicle checks were held in Bradenstoke after concerns raised by residents about to the use of the village roads by HGVs following the closure of Lyneham Banks due to storm damage earlier this year.

Wiltshire PCC Philip Wilkinson also joined officers during the day

Wiltshire PCC Philip Wilkinson also joined officers during the day of action.

He said: "Days like this are so important to show Wiltshire Police will robustly target those drivers who fail to abide by the rules on our roads.

"Proactive, targeted, policing of the issues that matter to communities builds trust and ensures the force is delivering a service that meets the need of its communities."