UK drivers warned of hidden police operation taking place on major motorway this week
The police have recorded over 46,150 offences since the HGV operation was launched in 2015
GETTY
Drivers have been warned about hidden police officers patrolling a major motorway this weekend who will try and catch motorists breaking the rules.
Alongside National Highways officers, police forces will be operating out of an unmarked HGV along the M6 and will be on the lookout for unsafe drivers.
The patrol started on Monday, June 3, and will run until Sunday, June 9, with the weekend expected to be the busiest time for the motorway.
The secret operation comes as the police have recorded over 46,150 offences since the launch of the project in 2015.
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The unmarked HGVs will be patrolling along the M6 all weekWARWICKSHIRE POLICEThe most common offences detected by the force included drivers not wearing a seatbelt (13,562) and using a mobile phone at the wheel (11,965).
National Highways deals with over 200 reported incidents on the M6 every day, with a total of 74,960 on the road last year, including more than 3,800 traffic collisions.
Matt Staton, National Highways head of national road user safety delivery, explained that the “shocking examples” identified by police are often carried out by a small minority.
But he warned that those who continue to take risks by using their phone at the wheel are “putting themselves and others in danger”.
He added that due to the hidden HGVs, police have been able to put a stop to incidents of driving which could have “very easily resulted in serious harm on the road”.
From unmarked HGV cabs, police officers can spot people driving dangerously and can issue warnings or fixed penalty notices which could lead to court summons or arrest.
Seven forces are taking part in Operation Vertebrae, the name given to the police investigation, this weekend.
This includes - Lancashire, Cumbria, Merseyside, Greater Manchester, Cheshire, Warwickshire Police and Central Motorway Police Group as well as the North West Commercial Vehicle Unit, North West Motorway Policing Group and several local road safety partnerships.
Inspector Si Paull, from Warwickshire Police, said: “Our aim is to save lives and unfortunately, we are seeing too many drivers showing total disregard for their own safety and that of other road users while driving at motorway speeds.
“Warwickshire Police and partners will be running regular operations using the National Highways HGV this year and while we always choose to educate drivers first, due to the high stakes involved in some driving offences, officers will be robust in their actions against the motorists involved.”
Similarly, Sergeant Matthew Picton, from Cheshire Police Northwest Commercial Vehicle Unit, stated that Operation Vertebrae is designed to bring internal and external partners together to target those who “pose a risk on roads”.
“We cannot simply accept that five people a day in the UK are killed and thousands of others are seriously injured,” he detailed.
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National Highways deals with over 200 incidents on the M6 every day
GETTYPolice will be out on the motorway all week long and will act against those who make the “wrong decisions”.
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