POLICE have seized vehicles and issued penalties during a road safety operation in Halesowen as part of a crackdown on speeding and dangerous driving.

Officers from the Halesowen Neighbourhood Team and Force Traffic joined forces to take action in Manor Way.

West Midlands Police said the operation was planned in response to residents’ concerns about street racing, or car cruising as it’s also known, along the route.

An interim injunction prohibits people from participating as a driver, a rider or a passenger in this activity across Dudley and anyone breaching the order can face penalties including imprisonment, a fine, or having their assets seized.

Police say they have been supporting the injunction with activities like the road safety operation which saw 17 fixed penalties issued to drivers for offences including speeding last Wednesday (October 25). Five vehicles were also seized, mainly for having no insurance.

Sergeant Nichola Chester, from the Halesowen Neighbourhood Team, said: “We know street racing, speeding and other forms of reckless driving really upsets residents as well as law-abiding road users. This kind of driving is disruptive, intimidating and, of course, dangerous.

“We also know there are drivers out there with little regard for the rules of the road but we’re dealing with them through successful operations like the one we’ve just had on Manor Way.

“We’re planning more of these road safety initiatives to bring dangerous and speeding drivers to a halt.”