Wakefield police issues 135mph speeding notice during crack down on illegal car meets at Pontefract retail park
Police apprehended drivers for travelling at speeds of 135mph and driving while disqualified during a crack down on illegal car meets in Wakefield.
The Roads Policing Unit joined neighbourhood officers at a car meet at the Park Road Retail Park in Pontefract on Sunday (June 15) following concerns about illegal car meets in the Wakefield district.
Information was received about a scheduled car meet at the retail park for the second weekend running and, in the run up, officers engaged with businesses at the site to put in measures to minimise potential disruption.
Officers from Wakefield East and Wakefield West Neighbourhood Policing Teams and roads policing officers were also in attendance to monitor activity and speak to individuals attempting to take part in the car meet or driving in an anti-social manner.
Police have shared details of 16 notices that were issued for a range of offences as a result of the operation, which include:
- 4 x Traffic Offence Reports issued for number plates not conforming.
- 3 x Traffic Offence Reports issued for excess speed.
- 1 x Traffic Offence Report issued for dangerous parts (any part of the vehicle that is not in a safe condition for use on the road).
- 1 x Section 192 issued due to driving at excess speed (135mph on the motorway)
- 3 x Traffic Offence Reports issued for driving without due care and attention
- 1 x Traffic Offence Report issued for glass not conforming (dark tint on windscreen)
- 1 x ticket issued for using mobile phone whilst driving
- 2 x cars seized due to one driver being disqualified and another due to the manner of driving.
This latest action follows the deployment of officers to a car meet which had taken place the Sunday before at the retail park.
Inspector Andy Dickinson, of Wakefield West Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “We take a zero tolerance approach to the anti-social use of vehicles in the district.
“The notices issued during this latest operation demonstrate that we are tackling behaviours that don’t just cause concern but actually put road users at risk, such as speeding, driving without due care and attention and having parts on a vehicle which are not in a safe condition.
“The feedback from local residents and businesses has been positive. We know that concerns still remain though about future events, and I would like to reassure people that we will continue this work to deter and prosecute the organisers and motorists involved in these car meets.
“The community play a key role in reporting information to us about planned car meets or the anti-social use of vehicles in their area. I would urge anyone with information about such activity to report it in so that it can be acted upon and action taken.
“We are committed to working with our partners as part of Vision Zero to reduce danger and in turn the number of people who are killed or seriously injured on our roads.”
It comes as a separate illegal car meet up was held at The Springs retail park in Leeds on the same day, during which a car caught fire.