Big traffic check takes 11 vehicles off the road

That represents a surprisingly high 16 per cent of all vehicles stopped and inspected that could not be driven off again.

And a police officer said: “Some drivers simply aren’t taking road safety seriously.”

Local police officers worked with colleagues from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) and Trading Standards in the big operation last Tuesday, March 15, on the A6 through Kibworth.

Police stopped nearly 70 motorists in an operation to check the road worthiness of vehicles travelling through the area.

Of the 68 vehicles that were stopped during the operation, four were deemed not to be roadworthy by the DVSA, and immediately taken off the road.

A further seven vehicles were recovered by the police because they were being driven without insurance.

And a total of 22 tickets were issued to drivers.

The tickets were for a range of reasons, including the condition of tyres, not wearing a seatbelt and using a mobile phone while at the wheel (and not even noticing there was a major police road check).

PC 1524 Steve Winn, who organised the operation, said: “Operations like this highlight the fact that some drivers simply aren’t taking road safety seriously.

“It’s vitally important that all drivers on our roads have insurance, maintain the condition of their vehicle and drive safely to prevent accidents and injuries either to themselves or others”.

n In a separate police operation in Market Harborough, police conducted a drugs check outside a town pub.

The check was conducted last Saturday night, March 19, with the full permission of the pub.

The pub was The King’s Head in Church Street.

The hands of 70 customers were checked with a high-tech machine that can detect whether people have handled drugs recently. Two of the 70 customers checked were found to have traces of cocaine on their hands.