A total of 60 motorists have been stopped by the Police for a number of traffic offences as part of a targeted operation.
As part of a Multi-Agency Road Safety Operation (MARSO) Enforcement Officers attended looking for vehicles used to collect scrap and transport waste. During the operations which took place in Wednesbury and West Bromwich.
Our West Bromwich patrols investigated 27 vehicles, and 65 untaxed vehicles were identified for investigations by DVLA. 12 traffic offence reports were issued for number plate offences, 5 vehicles had illegally dark front window tints, 5 vehicles were prohibited for dangerous mechanical defects. 3 vehicles had dangerous, insecure loads.
In Wednesbury 3 vehicles were identified as carrying scrap. It was found that none of the drivers of the vehicles held Scrap Collectors Licences or Waste Carriers Permits in addition one driver was arrested for failing a drug test and all 3 vehicles were prohibited from further use by examiners from the DVSA. The drivers were issued with warnings and have been reported to the Environment Agency.
Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods and Community, Cllr Suzanne Hartwell said: “We hope that this joint action demonstrates that Sandwell will enforce areas it licenses to keep our people safe.
“As we have seen in our recent #Safer6 campaign, we are prepared to take action against those who don’t play by the rules, or worse, against those who break the law.”
Cabinet Member for Environment and Highways, Cllr Keith Allcock praised the council and police teams for their work: “I’d like to thank our council teams and our partners in Sandwell Police and the DVSA for helping to keep our local roads safe. Last year 1.36 billion vehicle miles were travelled on roads in Sandwell meaning we need to do everything we can to keep people safe, whether on foot or by vehicle.
“Your safety is our number one priority, and the council are committed to reducing the number of fatalities and serious injuries on the roads in Sandwell.
“The ways we ensure this is through education, relying on people to use our roads safely, and as in this successful operation, through trying to catch out wrongdoers.”
It came as the #Safer6 campaign ran across the borough with partners working together to tackle crime, anti-social behaviour, and deal with other issues that matter to residents across the six towns #SaferSandwell.
A well maintained and managed network that is safe, serviceable and sustainable is one of the key enablers for job creation, encouraging economic growth and supporting local communities meaning it is crucial that everyone follows the law.
The Multi-Agency Road Safety Operation (MARSO) was a joint operation between our Road Harm Prevention Team, Sandwell Police, Sandwell Council Road Safety Team, Sandwell Council Licensing Teams, Environmental Health, and DVSA.
The Council’s highway network is over 880 km in length comprising multiple highway infrastructure asset types.
The roads carry high volumes of commercial and private vehicles and for the Council to fulfil its potential, it is important that this network is effectively maintained.