TWENTY five vehicles were seized and 11 people arrested as part of a road safety operation.

North Yorkshire Police say that in addition, more than 160 drivers and riders were reported for motoring offences this month under a new road safety operation called Operation Boundary which saw specialist are deployed en-mass to target specific roads in villages, towns, rural areas and key routes across the county.

It began with a Bank Holiday weekend of action in Craven and the Dales on Good Friday. Over the last couple of weeks, Op Boundary deployments have moved around the county to cover areas including Selby, Scarborough and Whitby, Richmondshire and Ryedale.

Traffic Sergeant Pete Stringer, who is leading the operation, said: “The strong results we’ve seen over the past couple of weeks show how our roads are being used, and occasionally abused, as lockdown restrictions ease.

“We’re seeing much more traffic, particularly in scenic rural areas, and a small minority of road users who seem to think the rules don’t apply to them.

“Unfortunately for them, Operation Boundary allows us to focus a lot of specialist roads policing resources in areas where they are most effective. So we’re always one step ahead of anyone who uses the road illegally or unsafely.”

Sgt Stringer added: “We’ve put deployed into villages and towns that experience a lot of motoring offences and worry that someone will be injured or killed in their community.

“We’ve had an extremely positive response from residents so far and we’re continuing to listen to their concerns so we can help keep their communities safe.

“I hope these results will give them further reassurance that we are taking a very robust approach and we will simply not tolerate North Yorkshire being used as a racetrack.”

Op Boundary will continue to run at various locations throughout the summer, when North Yorkshire’s roads are expected to become even busier as more lockdown restrictions ease.

Vehicles seized during the operation have been uninsured, untaxed or both.

The arrests have been on suspicion of drink driving, drug offences and failing to stop for police.

The 163 Traffic Offence Reports have been issued for a range of offences, including using handheld mobiles while driving, dangerous overtaking, speeding including 100mph-plus on 50mph roads, not wearing a seatbelt and vehicle defects including illegal modifications or dangerously poor maintenance.

Last week, high-visibility enhanced patrols were deployed to the following locations:

  • Mon 12 April: Ryedale including Thirsk, Helmsley, Kirkbymoorside and surrounding villages. Two vehicles seized.
  • Tues 13 April: Harrogate District. Five arrests, two vehicles seized and pursued after one motorist failed to stop.
  • Weds 14 April: Selby District. Three vehicles seized, three motorists summonsed to court for highly-excessive speeds and other road offences. Roads Policing Group officers also attended a serious collision.
  • Thurs 15 April: Richmondshire and the upper Dales towns and villages. Three vehicles seized and two arrested. Two immediate vehicle prohibitions due to very dangerous defects. Vehicles recovered and impounded.
  • Fri 16 April: Scarborough, Whitby, Filey and surrounding villages: Four vehicles seized and three vehicle prohibition notices issued for dangerous/ illegal defects, meaning the vehicle cannot be used until it has been inspected by a qualified MOT tester.
  • Sat 17 and Sun 18 April: Craven and the Dales, including towns and villages: Three vehicles seized and four arrests.

In all locations, traffic offence reports were issued by police for speeding, using a handheld mobile phone, dangerous overtakes, not wearing a seatbelt and similar offences which typically result in points on a driver’s licence and a fine.