900 drivers caught speeding in month long campaign

A month long campaign to combat anti-social driving on Cheshire’s rural roads saw over 900 drivers caught breaking the speed limit.

Over 40 rural locations across Cheshire were targeted following concerns raised by local communities. Speeding was not the only issue, as drivers were also stopped for driving without wearing a seatbelt, drink and drug driving, as well as driving using a mobile phone.

In addition to those who were caught on camera and fined for speeding, a further 232 motorists received a community SpeedWatch letter, while 59 drivers were given a verbal warning in relation to speeding, and seven were warned for driving with a mobile phone.

Sergeant Anthony Gallagher, of the Constabulary’s roads policing unit, said: “It’s really important we ensure the safety of all our roads across Cheshire, in particular on the large number of rural roads we have.

“More than 40 people have been killed on our roads in the past 12 months and more than 400 people seriously injured, with speeding, drink/drug driving, distraction and not wearing a seatbelt being the fatal four killers.

“By working with the community, it has enabled us to identify which of these roads are of specific concern to residents and ensure we are targeting those who don’t abide by the speed limit, or are driving while using a mobile phone.

“I want to thank businesses and local residents who have supported this operation and helped to make our roads safe. This operation may have come to an end but the work of officers to target those who drive anti-socially does not stop and we will continue to make the roads in Cheshire safe.”

Police and Crime Commissioner, David Keane, said: “It’s important that the Constabulary listens to community concerns about road safety in rural areas, as shown by this month-long campaign aimed at tackling head-on anti-social driving on our rural roads.

“These results show a high number of drivers are not using the roads safely by not abiding by the speed limits and it is a priority to ensure the roads in Cheshire are safe for all drivers and the community.

“When I spoke to people during my Police & Crime Plan consultation, one of the recurring themes was road safety, and I anticipate that it will be one of the priorities in my forthcoming Police & Crime Plan.”