SCORES of motorists have been targeted by police in a bid to stamp out illegal activity on the county's roads.

Dave Gooderham

SCORES of motorists have been targeted by police in a bid to stamp out illegal activity on the county's roads.

Police yesterday held a “day of action” in known hot-spot areas across Mid Suffolk to target motorists who flout the laws.

Officers stopped dozens of vehicles to detect motoring crimes such as speeding, using a mobile phone while driving and any potential drink or drugs offences and also issue advice on safe driving practices.

Insp Sally Gallant, who led the operation, said: “Such driving behaviour is unacceptable and can lead to the loss of your licence and damage to your car, yourself or others.

“The officers passed on advice on safer driving as well as giving out fixed penalty notices to those caught breaking the law.

“Sadly, we continue to find that many drivers are still committing these offences, without thought for the danger they are putting themselves and other road users in.”

The initiative, part of Operation Guardian, was the sixth time police have targeted illegal activity on roads in the west of the county.

Insp Gallant said the initiative partly came out of statistics which found that excessive or inappropriate speed was a factor in 30% of road traffic collisions where persons were killed or seriously injured in Suffolk in 2007.

Teams of officers from safer neighbourhood teams, response teams and road policing were all part of the operation which also included a parking enforcement patrol in Stowmarket town centre.