Lincolnshire Road Policing Unit record 99 driving offences on A1 between South Witham and Long Bennington during Operation Tramline

Drivers on their phones, suspected drug driving and children without seatbelts, were among offences police witnessed on the A1.

Officers from the Lincolnshire Road Policing Unit caught 99 crimes being committed on the 20-mile stretch of the A1 between South Witham and Long Bennington during a four-day operation last week.

An unmarked lorry was loaned to Lincolnshire Police by National Highways to give officers a better view into vehicles, and was used to patrol the main road.

National Highways assistant regional safety co-ordinator Marie Biddulph, said: “Working closely with our police partners, National Highways is striving to stamp out unsafe driving on our network.”

She added: “We always hope that our HGVs will go out and no instances of unsafe driving will be seen so it is disappointing to see 99 offences spotted on the A1.

“But we hope that knowing our HGVs are on the road will persuade all motorists to consider their driving behaviour, making the roads safer for everyone.”

Fifty-three drivers or their passengers were not wearing seatbelts.

Officers witnessed two incidents of children not being strapped in a vehicle, with one of them being a one-month-old baby in a car seat.

The other was in a car where the drivers and passengers, including a three-year-old, were not wearing seatbelts.

A man was arrested for failing a roadside drugs wipe while 10 drivers were also found with their phones to their ears and a further 16 were found holding their phone or with it resting on their laps while driving.

Officers also dealt with one driver not being in proper control, one with no MOT, two disqualified drivers, two for driving with insecure loads, two for driving with no insurance, four for driving without due care and four for offences to do with vehicle condition.

Three drivers were also issued prohibition notices, with one being an overweight vehicle.

The offences are dealt with by Traffic Offence Reports (TORs) and summons.

These can result in a fine of £100 for failing to wear a seatbelt, £200 and six penalty points for using a handheld mobile device and a £300 fine for driving a vehicle in contravention of a prohibition.

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Inspector Jason Baxter said: “The use of the lorry from National Highways enables our Roads Policing Officers to detect some offences that would otherwise be a challenge to identify.

“Making the roads safer for all road users is what our communities want our roads policing officers to be leading on, and we will continue to deal with offences positively, remembering that any of us or our loved ones could be impacted by such behaviours whilst using the roads.

“We have more operations planned for the remainder of the year, so look out for our Roads Policing Unit officers who will be out again on the roads near you.”

Nearly 1,000 crashes were reported on the A1 during an eight-year period, according to research by Midlands Connect.

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