A van that was stopped at a check site in Darwen was found to have no MOT, no seat belts and was towing a mini digger on a trailer which was found to be insecure.A van that was stopped at a check site in Darwen was found to have no MOT, no seat belts and was towing a mini digger on a trailer which was found to be insecure.
A van that was stopped at a check site in Darwen was found to have no MOT, no seat belts and was towing a mini digger on a trailer which was found to be insecure.

Operation Vanquish: Over 1,200 offences found and around £12,000 worth of fines handed out as Lancashire Police crackdown on road crime

More than £12,000 worth of fines were handed out by Lancashire Police during an operation to crackdown on road crime.

Police have been out and about across Lancashire since June 13 as part of Operation Vanquish – a scheme aimed at tackling dangerous and criminal activity on the county’s roads.

During the course of the operation officers stopped hundreds of vehicles and subsequently found a total of 1,232 offences.

In the first week alone, around £12,000 worth of fines were handed out by officers who were carrying out a motorway operation tackling commercial vehicle crime.

Overall 526 traffic offence reports or fixed penalties were issued, with a further 706 notices of intended prosecution given.

Offences from the fortnight included:

- 731 people speeding- 107 vehicles driven without an MOT- 96 people not wearing a seatbelt, including eight who were children or passengers.- 55 people driving without insurance- 41 vehicles in such bad condition they were prohibited from travelling any further- 44 people using a handheld mobile phone while driving- 14 commercial vehicles being driven without their load properly secured

Other offences included vehicles with illegally tinted windows, people driving without a licence or while disqualified and drink and drug-drivers.

What did Lancashire’s Police and Crime Commissioner say?

Andrew Snowden said: "The overwhelming majority of people on our roads want to see anyone posing a danger to the public and driving dangerously in our communities, targeted and proactive policing like we've seen during these weeks of action does exactly that.

“It's another example of how Operation Vanquish, driven by the priorities in my Police and Crime Plan, is making a difference across Lancashire.

"I will continue to back the Chief Constable with the resources he needs to take the fight to criminals and keep people safe.”

Here are some examples of the offences Lancashire Police found:

In the first week alone, around £12,000 worth of fines were handed out by officers who were carrying out a motorway operation tackling commercial vehicle crime.