More than 220 vehicles were stopped and checked during one of the biggest road safety operations carried out by Essex Police.

The operation yesterday, November 19, covered the Chelmsford area and the entire length of the A12 through Essex and also involved police officers from Norfolk and Suffolk and staff from Essex County Council and other agencies.

As part of the operation extra patrols were carried out on the A12 following concerns about the number of road collisions leading to injuries or fatalities.

Between January and October this year 83 injury collisions were reported resulting in 113 casualties, including one fatality and 19 serious injuries.

The A12 patrols were carried out at the same time as a similar safety operation around Chelmsford, part of the long-running Surround-A-Town campaign by Essex Police and Essex County Council.

Police used automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras to identify vehicles suspected of being involved in crime or having invalid driving documents. Marked and unmarked cars and the Essex Police unmarked lorry were also used to spot drivers committing offences.

Suspect vehicles were escorted to check sites at Boreham and Mountnessing where vehicles and driving documents were checked by police and other agencies.

Essex road safety officers and officers from Essex Trading Standards, HM Customs, HM Immigration, Essex Fire and Rescue, Driver and Vehicle Services Agency (DVSA) were also involved in the operation.

Drivers stopped for using mobile phones or not wearing seat belts were given advice by road safety officers and sent on driver improvement schemes. Other vehicles were taken to laybys on the A12 where drivers were questioned.

A total of 224 vehicles were stopped and checked: 23 were seized for having no insurance; 91 had no MoT, 13 drivers were not wearing seat belts, six people were seen using a mobile phone and one HGV driver was stopped for watching a TV while at the wheel. He has been reported for driving while not being in proper control. One man was found to be driving with only a provisional licence, held for the past 29 years. Ninety speeding offences were recorded in the Chelmsford area.

Two men who were wanted in connection with theft in Suffolk earlier in the day were stopped and arrested on the A12 on Wednesday evening.

Twelve vehicles were the found to be overloaded, nine were found to be a dangerous condition and 12 were prohibited from the roads until repairs had been carried out. Six vehicles were found to have illegally tinted windows. One driver failed an eyesight test. Numerous checks and investigations were carried out by the other agencies.

Adam Pipe, Casualty Reduction Manager for Essex Police, said: "The day really underlined the importance of partnership working and how working together and pooling a range of skills and staff with passion and dedication we can maximise the real potential of delivering a robust and effective road safety message.

"The public’s response to the operation has been very positive and the considerable media coverage has helped us to raise awareness of the Safer Essex Road Partnership’s engagement, education and enforcement activity directed towards road safety and road crime.”