NEARLY 300 motorists were stopped by police in a major crackdown in Braintree which unearthed seven people driving without licences.
More than 40 officers and 18 trainee constables carried out roadside checks and mobile patrols as part of 'Operation Surround a Town'.
Sixty-four vehicles had no MOT and seven motorists did not have driving licences.
Officers seized 11 uninsured cars, fined 29 drivers for talking on a mobile phone and stopped 95 people for not wearing a seatbelt, with 55 drivers opting to attend an education session with road safety officers rather than pay £60.
Essex police's casualty reduction manager Adam Pipe said: "Members of the public were very supportive and many give us the thumbs up as they drove past the stop sites.
"Many of the comments were about the vehicles that were seized for having no insurance and the fact that we were finding so many people driving while using mobile phones or using potentially dangerous cars without MOTs."
Officers also seized two vans – one suspected of being fitted with a stolen engine and another found to be running illegally on red diesel.
Five drivers were also stopped for having illegally tinted windows and forced to remove the film before continuing their journeys.
Offenders were identified by officers patrolling in cars or on motorcycles or through Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras, which scan number plates and check them on a national database to see if anything is flagged up.
Suspect vehicles were then escorted to check sites at Galleys Corner, Rayne Road and Coggeshall Road.
The operation was also part of Essex County Council's 'No Excuse campaign', designed to tackle motoring offences.
County councillor Derrick Louis, cabinet member for highways and transportation, said: "This is the second Surround a Town operation we've held in Braintree this year.
"Our officers have spoken to more than 400 people about road safety issues
"We will continue to target individuals who put themselves and others at risk we to make our roads safer.
"I hope that the local community will support us in our endeavours and help us to drive home the importance of road safety issues."
The operation also saw community road safety events take place at the Braintree Tesco store and at Freeport.
A school Speedwatch was carried out by John Bunyan primary school, in Lancaster Way, Braintree, where pupils joined forces with police and road safety officers.
Pupils joined police and road safety officers and were able to check the speed of drivers on a road near the school and then talk to offenders.
