POLICE caught 26 motorists during a crackdown on road-related crime on the Rossendale border.

Officers set up check points along rural roads between Rossendale and Bury and used Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) equipment and a police dog.

Five cars were seized for no insurance or no licence, nine fixed penalty notices where issued for various offences including using a mobile phone and not wearing a seatbelt, three warnings were given for driving in a careless or inconsiderate manner and seven people were issued with a report for summons.

Officers also arrested a motorist for drink driving and a man from Nelson, who was wanted on warrant, during the joint operation between Lancashire and Greater Manchester police forces.

PC Carolyn Morley, from the Ramsbottom Neighbourhood Policing Team, who helped to set up the operation, said: “The aim of the operation was to reduce crime, educate people, improve quality of life for people living in the area and ultimately save lives when people are driving carelessly on our roads.

“We plan to run a series of these operations and hope that it provides people with some reassurance as the vast majority of people use the roads legally and want the roads to be as safe as possible.

"We will continue to listen and work with our communities, local authorities, partners including officers from other forces to take action against criminals.”

PC Chris Long, Community Beat Manager for Edenfield and Helmshore in Lancashire, added: “We are committed to tackling cross-border crime and we will continue to work with other forces to take action.

“We have the right skills, technology and resources to catch criminals and our officers will ensure that those who commit crime are caught."