WATCH: Police stop 29 vehicles in multi-agency operation on A16 between Peterborough and Lincolnshire

Almost 30 vehicles were stopped as part of a multi-agency operation to tackle rural crime and road safety along the border of Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire.

Cambridgeshire’s Rural Crime Action Team (RCAT) carried out Operation Chambers on Wednesday (26 March) alongside Lincolnshire’s RCAT, to target motorists on the A16 which connects the two counties.

Sergeant Tom Nuttall, from Cambridgeshire’s RCAT, said: “This is the 30th Operation Chambers that we have done, with the aim to work with enforcement agencies to disrupt those committing rural crime by checking waste carriers, trailers, and agricultural equipment, and ensure vehicles are safe and roadworthy.”

The teams were spread around the area and intercepted vehicles, escorting them to Thorney Road South in Crowland, where checks could be carried out by the DVSA, DVLA, HMRC, Environment Agency, DataTag, and the UK National Rural Crime Unit.

Police said the following took place over a six-hour period:

• 29 vehicles were stopped

• 60 Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) hits for vehicles with no tax

• Six vehicles seized – two were found to be stolen, three for no tax, and one for no insurance

• A suspected stolen trailer was seized for forensic examination

• Five Traffic Offence Reports (TORs) were issued for driving offences including no insurance, no licence, and not wearing a seatbelt

• Three Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) were issued for overweight vehicles, load security and waste carrying – two from the DVSA, and one from the Local Authority on behalf of the Environment Agency

• Eight prohibitions were issued by the DVSA – two for overweight vehicles, one for not having an operators licence, one for a Tachograph not being fitted, and four for mechanical issues

• Three delayed mechanical prohibitions were issued by the DVSA

• Four advisory notices issued for various defects by the DVSA

• 21 vehicles examined by the DVLA regarding Register Number Plate Supplier (RNPS) – seven misrepresented number plate submissions completed, words of advice given to four drivers, six compliance checks carried out, one trade plate checked, one number plate changed, one number plate address changed, and one number plate manufacturer found to be ceased trading

• Two guidance letters to be sent by the Environment Agency regarding carrying waste

A 33-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of drug driving, and has been released under investigation.

Sgt Nuttall added: “Operations such as these allow us to work with partner agencies to tackle issues that we know the community is concerned about, and we can ensure motorists are complying with road laws and remove drivers and unsafe vehicles from our roads.

“We hope this work shows the community we are listening to their concerns and will continue our work to make our roads a safer place.”