Almost 400 offences recorded in week of action by police and National Highways on M6

Police officers caught 98 drivers using their mobile phone illegally at the wheel and 100 people not wearing a seatbelt during the recent week of action, tagged Operation Vertebrae,

In total there were 412 vehicles stopped by police using the unmarked cabs, supplied by National Highways, including 180 HGVs and 122 private vehicles.

Action taken ranged from words of advice or fixed penalty notices to traffic offences being reported and even six arrests.

The North West Commercial Vehicle Unit recorded 97 offences across the five days – 11 of which involved drivers using a mobile phone at the wheel.

Forty-one drivers were handed graduated fixed penalty notices totalling £16,800 and a further five drivers given words of advice.

A lorry with six defective tyres and with an excess load of some 15 tonnes was among the vehicles spotted. Lancashire Police reported the driver for the traffic offences and the HGV was taken off the road.

Cheshire Police recorded 35 offences during the week of action with 14 drivers flouting the law in relation to the use of mobile phones, while a Fiat van driver who already had six points on his licence was caught holding a mobile phone in his hand while driving.

The Cheshire force also spotted a motorbike being ridden at 90-100mph and undertaking traffic. Police tried to pull him over for four junctions before he finally stopped at junction 24 saying he hadn’t heard them over his music.

The rider will have to face the music now having had his bike seized and being issued with a summons for alleged offences of having no insurance, no MOT and driving without due care and attention.

Operation Vertebrae took place along the length of the M6, the longest motorway in the country. National Highways deals with around 180 reported incidents on the M6 every day including a large number of traffic collisions – 3,485 in 2021.

Five forces took part in the week of action – Lancashire, Merseyside, Cheshire, Warwickshire Police and Central Motorway Police Group, as well as the North West Commercial Vehicle Unit and local road safety partnerships.

Other partners taking part included the DVSA, Health and Safety Executive, HMRC, the Home Office and Immigration Enforcement. The DVSA alone stopped and inspected 249 vehicles and trailers resulting in 282 defects and offences being identified during the week, from 13 to 19 June.

National Highways Head of Road Safety, Jeremy Phillips, said:

“Our goal, through exercises such as Operation Vertebrae, is to make our roads safer whether that is by encouraging motorists to consider their driving behaviour or ensuring those that put people at risk are fully aware that they can be spotted and will be dealt with by our enforcement partners.

“It is always disappointing when we learn of drivers putting themselves and others at risk through unsafe driving such as using a mobile phone at the wheel. But through this week of action police were able to identify almost 400 offences and halt drivers who could have caused collisions and harm if they hadn’t been pulled over.”