A new summer drink drug drive awareness campaign has been launched with immediate success

Officers from Leicestershire and Rutland took part in a two-hour 'sting' operation held at a Tesco car park on Maidenwell Road in Leicester.

Drivers breaking the law through the use of a mobile phone or not wearing their seatbelts were also part of a series of otherwise random stops.

Within minutes of the operation beginning, two vehicles were pulled over with their drivers suspected of being under the influence of either drink or drugs.

One vehicle, initially showing no MOT, also had no road tax or insurance and ended up being seized as a result, while one of the passengers was cautioned for suspected use of cannabis.

Detective Inspector Steve Kilby, head of the serious collision investigation unit at Leicestershire Police, said: "We are here to make sure that people using the roads are safe and not under the influence of drink or drugs, but we also do safety checks on cars as well.

"This vehicle was initially pulled over because the automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) camera indicated no MOT since April 2022. However, as can be seen, there is no tread on either of the front tyres and the thread is showing through the rubber making it totally unsafe for the road.

"If this car had been taken in for an MOT, the garage would obviously have refused it as both the drivers' and the passenger side front tyres are in a similar condition.

"In addition to no MOT, there is no road tax on the vehicle, rendering the insurance invalid and so this is a car we're more than happy to seize and take off the road as 'not safe'.

"The driver wasn't very happy of course, and one of her passengers was given a drug use warning as there was a strong smell of cannabis when the door was opened; but on this occasion no drugs have been found."

The new summer awareness campaign is taking place alongside the 'Fatal 4' operation. Image credit: LDRS.

That vehicle, along with several others during the two-hour operation, was seized and taken away on the back of a flatbed lorry to the police pound.

The new summer awareness campaign is taking place alongside the 'Fatal 4' operation, part of the Road Safety Partnership, which highlights the four elements that cause most deaths on our roads: speeding; not wearing a seatbelt; drink and drug driving; and the use of a mobile phone while driving.

One car was stopped because it was carrying an unsafe and unsecured load – a lengthy piece of guttering which protruded 3m beyond the end of his pickup truck. The driver was forced to unload, and then had to return later with a more appropriate vehicle in which to carry the load.

Another car was pulled over because both the driver and the lady in the front passenger seat were not wearing their seatbelts; but this then led officers from the road safety partnership team who were also in attendance, to discover an unsecured baby seat in the rear in which there was a newborn.

For the next 40 minutes, the road safety partnership officers educated all five people in the car, including the passengers and the children, on the dangers of an unsecured baby seat and not wearing seatbelts in a vehicle.

All the drivers of the vehicles that were stopped were breath-tested for alcohol use while driving, and on this occasion none were found to have been drink driving.

Jonathan Clarkson, a spokesperson for the road safety partnership, said: "Leicestershire and Rutland Police made 149 drink drug drive arrests during the last campaign in December 2021, an increase from 132 during December 2020.

"But roadside arrests are averaging 100 per month now, and the latest Department of Transport figures show the number of people killed in drink drug drive collision on our roads is at a twelve year high."

"We want to educate Leicestershire and Rutland drivers, not ruin their day," DI Kilsby added. "But there are some very simple checks that all drivers should carry out on their vehicle on a weekly basis by simply turning the wheels out so you can see the tread on your tyres.

"Always wear a seatbelt and make sure that your passengers do as well – they are your responsibility when in your vehicle; don't even touch your phone while in charge of a car, and of course never use drink or drugs when you are driving."

The campaign will continue with similar operations across Leicestershire and Rutland for the remainder of the summer.

For more information visit the Leicestershire Police website or follow the team on Facebook.