A MOTORIST had his vehicle seized for having no insurance when a clampdown on errant drivers was carried out in Hartlepool.

Operation Mermaid, a partnership operation, involving Cleveland and Durham Specialist Operations Unit, the Vehicle Operator Services Agency (VOSA), Trading Standards and the Environment Agency, saw 48 vehicles stopped and checked and one vehicle seized for having no insurance.

Ten vehicles received prohibitions for defective vehicles and a further twelve offences were detected. One vehicle was seized for having no insurance during the operation on the A689 near Hartlepool on Tuesday, March 26.

Temporary Sergeant Sam Turner, from the Cleveland and Durham Specialist Operations Unit, said: “This multi-agency operation to combat road related criminal activity proved that there are still people out there who think they can flaunt the law.

“We stopped 48 vehicles and the results speak for themselves.

"We issued ten prohibition notices, mainly for defect offences, twelve other offences were identified and we seized one vehicle for having no insurance.

"The public can be reassured that we are doing everything we can to make the roads a safer place.”