POLICE mounted a weekend campaign on drivers heading to Lakeside for their shopping and netted a wide range of offenders - and have subsequently warned motorists they will be targeted if they do not meet safety standards.

A road check was completed yesterday (Sunday, 28 November) on the main approach to the Lakeside shopping centre and retail parks as part of Op Christmas Presence. Essex Police say the operation aims to prevent crime and anti-social behaviour and ensure the safety of all shoppers and people using the road network.

Police report a number of vehicles were stopped with children at risk, either through unbelted children or those using adult belts when they needed at least a booster, if not full child seat.

A statement says: "One toddler was in a rear facing seat in the front, without the airbag deactivated and with the seat just sitting there, unrestrained in any way.

"One driver was stopped in a van with his two daughters sharing the single middle seat – neither were wearing a seatbelt, his wife in the other seat was also unrestrained so had they been involved in a collision on the high speed road they had just left the chances of serious injury or worse would have been high.

"The driver however, seemed more concerned with being caught and prevented from continuing his journey that the safety of his family.

"There were also a large number of seatbelt offences detected, with many people caught sitting on top of an already clicked in seatbelt (like the one pictured, which also had no insurance and bald tyres) which will of course offer no protection in the event of a crash meaning they face the possibility of being ejected out of the vehicle, or thrown around inside where in addition to causing themselves injury they could also cause serious harm to other occupants who have worn theirs.

"Other offences dealt with include defective tyres, illegal or missing number plates and illegally tinted windows which were too dark at the front, reducing the drivers view of other roads users especially pedestrians and cyclists as the evenings draw in."

Officers achieved the following results:

• 1 x arrest for drug driving
• 51 x excess speed (a residential 30mph road in the Chafford Hundred area)
• 52 x no seatbelt (including when the driver receives a ticket for an unbelted young passenger)
• 9 x dangerously carrying passengers (more people than seats etc)
• 2 x no insurance
• 1 x no licence
• 2 x defective tyres
• 1 x using a mobile phone
• 1 x not in proper control (texting)
• 1 x no MOT
• 1 x careless driving
• 1 x illegal number plate
• 2 x cars seized for no licence/insurance
• 3 people were stop searched and 2 people received community resolutions for possession of cannabis.

PC Zara Hanson from the Roads Policing Unit who was in charge of the operation said "It is a shame so many people have such a poor attitude towards road safety. The main part of our job is to try and prevent people dying on our roads which is vitally important all year round, but especially so at this time of year as we approach Christmas.

"Several vehicles today were impounded until the drivers either went and bought appropriate seats for their children or had some brought to them, however every vehicle had just been on a fast dual carriageway and it's a shame it took our intervention to get the parents to safeguard their own children"

Additional police operations will continue in and around the Lakeside shopping centre through the busy Christmas shopping period and police say ongoing road safety work will be stepped up across the county with the increased work as part of the winter drink/drug drive campaign.