Vehicle seized in Buntingford police operation

A VEHICLE was seized and drivers were cautioned as part of an operation carried out by police last week.

Eight special constables, alongside officers from the East Herts Safer Neighbourhood Team, held an ANPR operation last Tuesday on the old A10, just outside Buntingford.

Between 9pm and midnight they stopped and checked many vehicles including lorries, vans, 4X4 vehicles and cars.

One vehicle was seized as it was being driven with no insurance and had a defective exhaust.

Three drivers were also reported for offences including driving without a valid MOT and driving without tax, and five drivers were issued with special tickets, requiring them to attend to any problems police find with their vehicles within 14 days.

East Herts Safer Neighbourhood Team sergeant Duncan Wallace, who also took part in the operation, said: “It is important we are able to keep up random checks such as this to ensure East Herts’ roads are as safe as possible and that we deal with any motorists who flout road safety rules.

“It was fantastic our special constables took such an active lead on this operation as it wouldn’t have been possible without them. Overall it was a great success and we will be looking to hold similar operations again in the future.”

Two specials based in a layby on the old A10 in an ANPR van were scanning passing vehicles. Those without insurance and other motoring offences were automatically flagged up.

Officers in the van then radioed the six other specials to make them aware of any approaching vehicles that had registered on the system.

They were positioned in laybys further down the road, allowing them to stop motorists as they passed by.

• Herts Police is looking to recruit special constables from across the county to help operations such as these. For more information, visit www.herts.police.uk/specials