POLICE took charge of three vehicles during a crackdown on motorists who commit crime on the roads in Ellesmere Port.

The operation, which was organised by sergeant Daniel Greenhalgh, also resulted in three people being summoned to court for having no insurance or no driving licence.

More than 900 vehicles were monitored and 77 were checked by officers.

Officers worked alongside the DVLA using the latest technology, such as automatic number plate recognition (ANPR), which recognises and can pinpoint stolen and illegal vehicles.

The main focus of the operation was to detect and deter motorists driving unlawfully as well as those who use the roads to commit burglary or car crime.

Sgt Greenhalgh said: “The operation was successful in not only ensuring the strong arm of the law is felt by criminals and would-be offenders across the region, but also in educating drivers on road safety.

“The operation allowed motorists travelling on Cheshire’s roads to continue to do so safely.

“We will continue to run operations like this across the area.”

During the operation a van was stopped towing a car. The van was overloaded with scrap and the driver of the van had no driving licence and the car had no insurance.

The car was signed over to be crushed and both drivers were summoned to court.

Officers also issued three vehicle defect notices for minor defects with their vehicles.

The notices give the driver 14 days to have the vehicle repaired and signed off by an MOT garage or face prosecution.