40-plus vehicles stopped and six arrested during multi-agency day of action on A47 and A1101

More than 40 vehicles were stopped as part of a multi-agency day of action to tackle cross-border rural crime and road safety.

Cambridgeshire’s Rural Crime Action Team (RCAT) and Wisbech’s Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT) carried out Operation Chambers last Tuesday, July 22 alongside Norfolk Constabulary’s Op Moonshot team and West Norfolk NPT, to target the A47 and A1101, which connects the two counties.

Sergeant Tom Nuttall, from RCAT, said: “We hold these operations regularly across the county with the aim to work with partner agencies and disrupt those committing rural crime by checking waste carriers, trailers, and ensuring vehicles are safe and roadworthy.”

The teams were spread around the area, where they intercepted vehicles and escorted them to Morrisons car park in Elm High Road, where checks could be carried out by the DVSA, DVLA, HMRC, Environment Agency, and DataTag.

During a six-hour period:

-45 vehicles were stopped;

-Eight vehicles were seized – four were not taxed and four had no insurance;

-Ten Traffic Offence Reports (TORs) were issued for offences including illegal number plates, no tachograph, no MOT, towing in a dangerous condition;

-63 Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) hits for vehicles with no tax;

-12 prohibitions issued – four for overweight vehicles, one for stop lamps and registration plate, three for vehicles for tyres and missing indicators, and four for trailers for brakes and tyre defects;

-Two fixed penalty notices issued for dangerous condition of vehicles and failure to enter a period of time;

-23 vehicle checks for illegal red diesel;

-Two unregistered waste carriers given words of advice on the duty of care and how to register with the Environment Agency and local authorities;

-Four registered upper-tier waste carriers checked and given advice on the duty of care.

Six arrests were made:

-Bozhidar Naydenov, 46, of Prins Avenue, Wisbech, was arrested and charged with fraud, driving without a licence, and driving without insurance. He is due to appear in court next month.

-A 45-year-old man was arrested for breach of court order and failing to appear at court;

-A 37-year-old man was arrested in relation to immigration offences and has been passed on to immigration services;

-A 19-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply class A drugs, and has been bailed until October;

-A 45-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of a controlled drug, and has been bailed until October;

-A 44-year-old woman was arrested of being concerned in the supply of a controlled drug, and has been bailed until October.

Sgt Nuttall added: “It was a successful day of disrupting the criminality happening on our roads and showing the community that we are working to tackle their concerns.

“It was lovely to receive thanks from local residents about the operation and have their support in the work we are doing.”