POLICE in Gwent have reported almost 150 speeding offences in a single day.

Yesterday marked the first day of Project Edward, a Gwent Police campaign to clamp down on driving offences.

On the first day, 148 speeding offences were detected across Gwent.

During the police's day of activity, 41 vehicles were stopped by officers and 20 traffic offence issues were reported.

A Gwent Police spokesman said: "The motoring offences recorded include use of a mobile phone, not wearing a seat belt, driving without a valid MOT, driving without insurance and possession of drugs.

"We will be out all week as part of this road safety operation.

"Thanks to all our partners for their support."

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‘Project EDWARD’ – which stands for ‘Every Day Without ARoad Death’ – is a European traffic information system police (TISPOL) operation at reducing road deaths and this year’s theme is around driving for work.

In line with the theme for 2020, Gwent Police officers will be engaging with communities and highlighting the risks of the road particularly as more and more vehicles return to routes.

The force will also remind motorists about the ‘fatal five’ - don’t drink and drug drive; kill your speed; don’t get careless; belt up and switch it off – and will reinforce this message during the operation, which runs from Monday 14 September to Sunday 20 September.

Police and Crime Commissioner Jeff Cuthbert is a road safety lead for the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners. He said: “The odds of being involved in a collision resulting in injury or death while driving for work are about 1 in 500.

“With thousands of work-related journeys taking place in Gwent every day the sad reality is that our emergency services are dealing with these incidents on a regular basis. All of them could have been avoided.

“Now, more than ever, we need to do our part to stay safe and keep the emergency services available for those who need them most, so please take extra care and stay safe on the roads.”