South west police forces arrest 15 offenders and scammers and seize 42 cars in ANPR operation

More than 180 cars were stopped and 15 arrests made in a joint police operation. Gloucestershire and Avon and Somerset police forces joined together for Operation Utah, which was held at Michaelwood services on the M5.

Officers from the two forces operated Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras at set points on the motorway. Any vehicles thought to be suspicious were pulled in at the services, with agencies including the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA), HM Revenue and Customs, and the Driver Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) carrying out checks on the vehicles and their occupants.

The operation, held last Friday, saw 15 people arrested for offences including being in possession of drugs and fraud. During the day-long operation a man who was wanted by police in Scotland was arrested and officers recovered a Mercedes car, which had been reported stolen by its owner. Two men were arrested in connection with this incident.

In total 24 cars were seized including a Porsche sports car, which was seized under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

A further seven vehicles were seized for being uninsured, including a £20,000 Mercedes van, while another 11 vehicles were taken off the road due to dangerous defects.

The DVLA also clamped three untaxed vehicles and reported drivers for number plate misrepresentation and failure to notify ownership. Customs and Revenue also seized a vehicle for using illegal fuel.

Insp David Collicott, of Gloucestershire police, said: "Once again, the benefits of using a targeted approach through the use of ANPR technology combined with the observation and investigative skills of officers has resulted in offences being detected and helping to reduce the dangers caused to road users through the use of vehicles in a dangerous and unlawful manner.

"The partnership approach has meant that we have been able to call upon the expertise of others to identify and deal with a wider range of issues.

"Checks like these often lead to us uncovering other criminal offences which has been proved by the arrest of a number of people for drugs offences and suspected fraud."

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