Gwent Police crack down on motor offences in Caerphilly

Two arrests were made - one for drink driving, the other for drug driving - as 43 vehicles were stopped in the latest road safety operation.

The DVSA, DVLA and Caerphilly County Borough Council partnered with Gwent Police at Aiwa Technology Park to check vehicles to see if they were safe to be on the roads.

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Police officers escorted drivers to the check site before their vehicles were inspected and they underwent full driving licence, insurance and tax checks.

Other than the two arrests, 17 traffic offence reports were issued, including reports for insecure loads, defective tyres or brakes, driving without insurance, driving without wearing a seatbelt and MOT offences.

Two vehicles were seized for being driven without valid insurance, Go Safe recorded 58 motorists driving above the speed limit and the DVSA issued 30 drivers with immediate roadworthiness prohibitions.

PC Lloyd Rees said: "We all have a role to play in ensuring the safety of road users and pedestrians.

"That role includes driving carefully, responsibly and ensuring vehicles are always well-maintained.

"Those who choose to break the law on our roads by driving vehicles that aren’t roadworthy not only put themselves at risk but others too.

"We’re committed to increasing the safety of all road users in Gwent and Operation Utah is one of the ways we tackle these motoring offences.

"I hope the results from this operation send a clear message that driving irresponsibly is unacceptable and you will be dealt with robustly.

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

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The operation included officers from the roads policing unit, dog section, rural crime team, We Don’t Buy Crime team, special constabulary, response, and staff volunteers.

Operation Utah is a multi-agency scheme intended to identify motorists who put other road users at risk, either by driving illegally or driving vehicles that are not safe.

The scheme has been running for more than 15 years.