117 Isle of Wight driving offences dealt with by police in two days

Among the incidents dealt with was a vehicle being seized because the driver had no licence nor MOT. He was initially stopped by police after he was spotted driving whilst on his mobile phone, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary said.

Another vehicle was taken to a weighbridge due to concerns surrounding the load it was carrying, and it was found to be 68 per cent overweight.

Over the course of Wednesday 20 and Thursday, March 21, the mainland-based Roads Policing Unit (RPU) joined officers on the Island as part of Operation Wightwash.

RPU bikes (Image: Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary.)

Wightwash has been stood up in recent years to bolster the force's efforts in intercepting drivers committing offences on the road network, and is run at regular intervals throughout the year. 

During the two day op this week, 117 offences were dealt with on the road, including the arrest of a driver suspected of being under the influence of cannabis.

Throughout the op, other offences dealt with included:

• Drivers on their mobile phones
• Driving without seatbelts
• Insecure loads
• Excess speed
• Front windows excessively tinted
• Number plate offences
• Tyre tread issues
• Exhaust issues
• Licence offences
• Tax offences
• Vehicles driving through red lights

However, teams did notice an improvement in vehicles driving with secure loads and legal number plates, when compared to previous Wightwash operations.

A spokesperson for the force said: "Road safety issues are regularly brought to our attention on the Isle of Wight, and are clearly of concern to Island residents.

"We want you to be reassured that we listen to these concerns, and regularly conduct enforcement action to target the minority of drivers whose standards fall far below what is legally expected of them."

Unsecured load (Image: Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary.)

Police say they continue to develop and act upon the intelligence around hotspot locations across the Island for driving offences.

"We encourage members of the public to report driving offences, and concerns around driving standards, to police as this all feeds into our intelligence-gathering work and helps us keep road users safe", the spokesperson added.

To make a report to police, call 101, or submit information via the report tool on the Hampshire Constabulary website. Always dial 999 in the event of an emergency.