Thirty-one vehicles were pulled over and three people arrested as police and other agencies targeted drivers in and around Carlisle.
Cumbria Constabulary’s roads policing unit and neighbourhood policing teams, Trading Standards, the DVSA, the Environment Agency, and Cumberland Council’s enforcement team.
Three drivers were arrested after failing a roadside drugs wipe test and other action taken included:
- 10 drivers advised and inspected by Trading Standards
- Two regulated waste facility visits with the Environment Agency and Cumberland Council’s Enforcement Team
- Four failures to produce waste transfer notes and/or a waste carrier’s licence
- Six vehicles prohibited from onward travel by DVSA for mechanical defects
- Five vehicles were issued with overweight prohibitions by the DVSA – four of which were prohibited from onward travel until the overload was removed
- One advisory given by the DVSA to a driver
Inspector Jack Stabler, of the roads policing unit said: “Multi-agency operations such as these demonstrate the commitment across Cumbria to making our roads safer as we work towards driving down the number of people killed or seriously injured on our roads.
“We will continue with such operations moving forward. Meanwhile our officers are on the roads every day and night looking to stop drivers who are impaired through drink or drugs before they can cause a tragedy this Christmas.
“I urge everyone to think carefully about their travel plans in advance so they are not tempted to drive whilst over the limit. Doing so risks tragic consequences for yourself and other innocent road users.”
Cumberland Councillor Denise Rollo, executive member for sustainable, resilient and connected places, said: “This multi-agency campaign was a resounding success.
“We hope this sends a clear and strong message that co-ordinated action, such as this one, is a great example of how we can achieve greater outcomes by working collaboratively, using our combined resources to combat illegal activities, and we look forward to future multi-agency campaigns as a means to achieve even greater outcomes through collective efforts.”
John Bunn, waste team leader for the Environment Agency, said: “We are determined to make life hard for waste criminals by disrupting and stopping illegal activity through tough enforcement action. By working with our partners, we can deliver effective interventions in the areas where it matters, take robust action against those who break the law and make it fairer for legitimate waste businesses.”
