Fifteen drivers fined in crackdown in Portslade

Fifteen community support officers were among a team of 19 people from Sussex Police who targeted drivers committing offences in Portslade last week.

The team seized an uninsured vehicle in Mile Oak Road and spent six hours tackling drivers who were going too fast, not wearing seatbelts and using their mobile phones.

The team, including three traffic officers and a special constable, were responding to concerns raised at last month’s local action team meeting.

PCSO Brenda McKenna said: “A day of action is when we actively try to tackle problems directly affecting people living in that area.

“Last Wednesday (13 June) we had three teams of officers dealing with offences ranging from drivers using mobile phones, not wearing seatbelts, not adhering to road traffic signs by driving on the wrong side of the bollards and parking in an obstructive manner and even on zigzag lines.

“The team of PCSOs did the spotting for the driving offences and this was then followed by neighbourhood policing officers pulling over the vehicles and dealing with the occupants.

“Areas targeted included Shelldale Road, Trafalgar Road, Mile Oak Road, Carlton Terrace and Boundary Road.”

Five people were fined £60 for not wearing seatbelts – three in Trafalgar Road and two in Shelldale Road.

Five were fined £30 for driving on the wrong side of the bollards in Carlton Terrace.

A £30 fine was issued to a person for causing an obstruction in Boundary Road, on the Hove side of the border.

Three drivers were fined £30 for parking on zigzags in Boundary Road.

In Mile Oak Road a vehicle was stopped because the driver was spotted using his mobile phone. Further checks revealed that he did not have any insurance. He was fined £60 for the mobile phone offence, £200 for having no insurance, had his vehicle seized and was given nine points on his licence.

Details of about 35 vehicles were taken for speeding, not wearing seatbelts and using mobile phones while driving.