Police blitz A34 drivers

A team of specialist police motorbikes and cars from the force's road crime team were out in force yesterday to try to catch illegal motorists.

As many as 10 officers were stationed at strategic points along the A34 and Avon Road leading down to its junction with Longford Road.

Using the state-of-the-art automatic number plate recognition or ANPR system officers were scanning passing cars for vehicles without insurance, road tax or MOT or those suspected of being involved in crime.

Officers were also on the lookout for motorists driving without their seatbelts or using mobile phones.

Under new powers police can seize a vehicle if the driver is unable to prove they have insurance and officers are hopeful the new technology will see more tax and insurance dodgers taken off the streets.

Inspector Chris Dawson, head of the road crime team, said his officers were making sure roads in Cannock were safe for law abiding drivers.

He said: "Yesterday was part of our regular deployment throughout Staffordshire using the new ANPR technology.

"For those people who might think this is a money raising exercise, one of the beautiful things about ANPR is that it is much less random.

"If you drive past a police car fitted with an ANPR camera and your vehicle has, tax, MOT, insurance and isn't suspected of being involved in any crime, then you will pass straight through.

"If I try to drive through and don't have insurance the camera will recognise this and flash up with an alert."

Police were unable to release figures for the number of people arrested and vehicles seized.

By Shaun Lintern