A 30-year-old man from South Ockendon was charged with taking a vehicle without consent, using a vehicle without insurance and driving a vehicle otherwise than in accordance with a licence.
He appeared at Grays magistrates’ court the following day and was remanded in custody to return to the court on May 7. The road safety operation - aimed at curbing speeding, drivers using mobile phones and people not wearing seat belts - was carried out following concerns outlined by members of the South Ockendon community forum at a meeting on April 7.
The operation was organised by Pc Rachel Martin, the neighbourhood specialist officer (NSO) for South Ockendon, who attends the forum’s meetings. The crackdown was planned to run all morning but was cut short after just over an hour when officers were diverted away to an emergency job.
Pc Martin said: “In that short space of time we carried out 19 stops and issued 14 notices for not wearing seat belts, three people were fined for speeding and one was stopped for using a mobile phone while driving. Local residents were very pleased that we were taking action and thanked us for keeping watch on their roads, but the drivers we stopped were not best pleased. Some of them said they did not know they could get a ticket for not wearing seatbelts. Others had a total disregard for their own safety.”
Pc Martin said that the operations will be held frequently in South Road and nearby areas until drivers get the message about safety. Drivers are reminded that not using seat belts can lead to a £30 fine. Driving while using a mobile phone could cost £60 plus three points on a licence while fines and penalty points for speeding depend on the speed recorded.
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