Police officers have launched a crackdown on misbehaving motorists and criminal cyclists.

Up to 30 police officers were joined by immigration and trading standards colleagues, traffic wardens and city ambassadors in a day of action against rogue road users in Brighton and Hove.

The new project, Operation Intercept, focused on a series of transport issues including cyclists going the wrong way down St James’s Street, cyclists jumping the lights at the junction of King’s Road and Montpelier Road, Lewes Road cycle lane being blocked by parked cars and vehicles parked on zig-zags in Station Road and Boundary Road.


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Taxi ranks at Brighton Railway Station and East Street were also areas of concern where the overflow of taxis had obstructed emergency vehicles responding to calls.

Car key burglars were also identified as a problem with groups of youngsters in West Hove breaking into homes to steal the keys of topend cars to use in joyrides.

Officers were also briefed to be on the lookout for a shortlist of known suspects and offenders including the owner of a Mercedes Benz ambulance suspected of being used for drug sales and a man riding a mobility scooter under the influence of crack cocaine.

Officials from Vehicle and Operator Services Agency carried out spot checks in Madeira Drive while a van with licence plate recognition capability was checking cars travelling along Preston Road.

PC Jimmy Conway, who led the operation, said: “It’s nice for people to see us. It makes a lasting impression and keeps people on their toes.

“The thing is for car thieves, we have the technology, we have the officers with the local knowledge and Brighton is not that big a place.

“We know who is doing it and we will get to them pretty quickly if they do it again.”

During the time The Argus rode with PC Conway and PC Lizzie Luckman on patrol, the officers pulled over a student with a broken wing mirror in New England Street, a driver without her seatbelt on in Lewes Road, a taxi driver stopping on zigzags in North Road and a van driver driving without his seatbelt and lighting a cigarette in Lewes Road.

While many of the incidents were for minor offences, PC Conway explained that picking up for what might be considered a minor offence can actually reveal a more serious offence such as driving without insurance.