Cops in disguise: Police use unmarked HGV to catch offending motorists

Police patrolling the M1 between Leeds and London have recorded almost 700 offences during a week of targeted action in unmarked HGVs.

Running from March 6 to March 12 as part of Operation Tramline, officers made use of plain white truck cabs supplied by National Highways and stopped 663 vehicles to uncover 691 offences. The most common of these was not wearing a seatbelt, with 239 motorists caught in the act.

Of those stopped, 180 were HGVs and 204 were privately owned vehicles – with 181 people seen using their phone at the wheel.

“Using an HGV cab is a really useful tactic to help spot drivers who are putting other road users at risk and it’s still very disappointing to see so many drivers ignoring the law,” Derbyshire Police Roads Policing Unit’s PC Dave Shaw said.

“We will be continuing to patrol the road network in Derbyshire and any driver found to be committing offences can expect to be given the appropriate penalty.”

Penalties for motorists ranged from words of advice to 14 court summons and five arrests.