Police motoring crackdown success in Shirebrook

A month-long operation to help improve road safety in Shirebook has led to a drop in the number of uninsured vehicles in the area and seven vehicles being seized.
Police motoring crackdown.Police motoring crackdown.
Police motoring crackdown.

The operation was set up after concerns were raised about unlicensed vehicles bringing people to and from work in the area.

Most of the vehicles and their passengers were from outside the UK and they were often overcrowded.

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Prior to the enforcement action, leaflets were produced in several different languages to educate drivers from outside the UK about laws on licences and insurance.

There was also advice regarding local bus services for workers arriving in the area.

A month of action then took place during March when a total of 95 cars were stopped and seven were seized.

Four of the drivers were found to have no insurance and three did not have UK driving licences.

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Officers also dealt with other offences including defects on the cars as well as drivers using mobile phones and not wearing seat belts.

A number of the car drivers stopped during the later weeks of the operation had recently insured their vehicle or got a UK driving licence.

Following the enforcement action, bus companies travelling to and from the area noticed an almost 200 per cent rise in passenger numbers.

On one route, average passenger numbers rose from around 30 per day to more than 100.

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Inspector Frank Burns, who is responsible for policing in Shirebrook, said: “The operation has helped to reduce the number of overcrowded and un-roadworthy vehicles in the area and at the same time enabled us to build relationships with members of the community.

“It has also provided opportunities for closer partnership working to continue to look for ways to improve the local community for everyone.

“It has led to a big increase in the number of workers using public transport after they were given information about the services available to them.

“The bus companies are now looking at increasing the frequency of the service and the routes to help passengers further.”

Further operations to help maintain road safety in the area will take place in the coming months.

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