Police carry out operations to tackle dangerous and anti-social driving in Seaton

Seaton Neighbourhood Policing Team have joined forced with the Driver and Vehicles Standards Agency to carry out a number of operations to tackle dangerous and anti-social driving in the town.

In recent months, the police have received a number of complaints relating to dangerous and anti-social driving, particularly around Harbour Road, Royal Observer Way and the Tesco car park, as well as Seaton Down Hill, Harepath Road, Beer Road and Colyton Road.

These reports have related to the manner of driving and include excessive revving of engines, loud music, driving the wrong way around roundabouts and racing along Harbour Road, with several dangerous over-takes.

Following these reports, Seaton Neighbourhood Policing Team have teamed up with the Driver and Vehicles Standards Agency (DVSA) and have conducted a number of operations in which vehicles have been stopped and inspected, with several vehicle prohibitions following.

Over the weekend, officers from Seaton, Honiton, Sidmouth and Axminster patrolled the area seeking to combat this issue.

For good measure, neighbourhood officers were joined by the on duty response inspector and team, as well as specialist traffic officers who were deployed in a variety of marked and unmarked vehicles.

Over the course of the weekend, multiple vehicles were stopped and checked, resulting in the issuing of Section 59 warnings, drivers being reported for further offences, and one vehicle later being seized. Drink and drugs checks were also conducted.

In addition, several drivers will soon be finding their formal warnings and notices landing on their doorsteps, which will likely be followed up with some official face-to-face conversations in due course.

A police spokesperson said: "Many of the vehicles that we have on our radar were absent over this weekend, although we continue to monitor and patrol on the look-out for those vehicles that have been reported.

"We thank those members of the public who have worked with us in helping to identify potential wrongdoing – this has helped us identify those who continue to think that the area is their own personal race-track. It is not; a driving licence and car is a privilege and not an absolute right.

"The local neighbourhood team is continuing to work with local business and authorities to formulate a longer term solution to this matter."