Police on M4 arrest driver of stinking van
A driver was arrested on the M4 after police officers noticed the smell of cannabis from inside his van. The motorist had initially been stopped for not being in control of the vehicle when police in Badbury Weighbridge noticed the strong smell coming from the van. The driver was arrested on suspicion of drug driving after failing a roadside breath test.
Wiltshire Police said he has been released under investigation. The arrest was one of 44 stops made over just a three day period on the M4 in Wiltshire, during Wiltshire Police's Operation Tramline. Police used unmarked HGV cabs, owned by National Highways, to patrol motorways and other major A-roads up and down the county.
PC Luke Hobbs, from Wiltshire's Roads Policing Unit, said: "Cases like this prove how offences which, on the surface, may seem minor can often reveal a pattern of serious criminality. Operation Tramline gives us the advantage of being able to effectively police every driver on the motorway." Tramline runs multiple times a year and targets motorists who commit the fatal five traffic offences:
- Using a mobile phone while driving
- Drink/drug driving
- Speeding
- Failing to wear a seatbelt
- Careless driving
Wiltshire Police says HGV drivers were the most common offenders and the most frequent offence spotted by police during the operation was drivers not wearing their seatbelts.
These offenders were given an on-the-spot GBP100 Fixed Penalty Notice and given strong words of advice about the importance of the simple safety measure. PC Hobbs added: "We often get asked why not wearing a seat belt is such a big deal. The reality is that you are far more likely to be seriously injured - or die - if you crash while not wearing one, whether you're driving or a passenger."
"We encourage drivers to think about the consequences not just for themselves but the family they will leave behind when they decide to take the massive and unnecessary risk of not wearing a seat belt." While conducting the operation police also closed the M4 to rescue a swan. National Highways Engineering Team Manager for Road Safety, Jack Mason, said: "We know that the majority of people who use our roads do so safely and legally, but there is a small minority who will put themselves and others at risk.
"Through Operation Tramline, and working closely with our police partners, we want to encourage motorists to think carefully about their driving behaviours.
"Thanks to the elevated position in the HGV, officers can see into all vehicles.
So those who don't drive safely and legally should be aware that they may very well be spotted and face the consequences."