Northampton A45: Moment Kettering tanker driver swerves between lanes after failing to notice queuing traffic

Northamptonshire Police say members of the public have helped to secure the successful prosecution and removal of six drivers from our roads after submitting dashcam evidence to the force via Operation Snap.

Footage submitted via the online portal on the force’s website captured examples of some of the more serious driving offences witnessed on our roads, including dangerous driving and without due care and attention.

A 20-year-old Northampton man, who pleaded guilty to dangerous driving on the A5 at Bugbrooke last November, received a 36-weeks custodial sentence, suspended for 12 months after he was filmed overtaking on solid white lines into oncoming traffic in his blue Fiat Punto car. He was also disqualified from driving for 12-months and must pass an extended test as well as ordered to complete a rehabilitation order and pay £85 court costs and £154 victim surcharge.

A 50-year-old Birmingham man, who pleaded guilty to dangerous driving in March, after a white Vauxhall Vivaro van was caught on camera brake checking a HGV forcing it to stop in the live lane of the M1. He was sentenced to 40 weeks imprisonment, suspended for 24 months, disqualified from driving for 12 months and must pass an extended test as well as ordered to pay £85 costs and £185 victim surcharge.

A 31-year-old Daventry man, who pleaded guilty to dangerous driving on the A5 at Towcester last November, received a 24-weeks custodial sentence, suspended for 12 months after he was filmed overtaking on solid white lines into oncoming traffic in his pink BMW car. He was also disqualified from driving for 12-months and must pass an extended test as well as given a three-month curfew and ordered and pay £85 court costs and £154 victim surcharge.

A 34-year-old Northampton man and a 23-year-old man from Silverstone, were both ordered to complete 100 and 150 hours of unpaid work respectively after they were filmed performing donuts in a crowded car park at an unauthorised car meet on the Brackmills Industrial Estate in Northampton last November. They were disqualified from driving for 12 months and must pass an extended test as well as ordered to pay court costs and victim surcharge totalling £978.

A 42-year-old Kettering man was found guilty of driving a rigid tanker without due care and attention following a trial at the magistrates’ court on June 27. Dashcam footage captured him swerving between lanes after he failed to notice queuing traffic on the A45 in Northampton. He was fined £576, received six points on his licence and ordered to pay £620 court costs and £230 victim surcharge. He was also reported to the Traffic Commissioner.

PC Maureen Allsopp-Clarke of Northamptonshire Police’s Safer Roads Team said: “As a Force, we continue to be committed to reducing the number of people who are killed or seriously injured on our roads.

“Through the use of Operation Snap, we have thousands of additional pairs of eyes helping us to keep our roads safer and thanks to the public’s continued support we can act against those committing driving offences that we otherwise wouldn’t see.

“All of these cases highlighted some of the most serious driving offences, which could have easily ended in tragic consequences, and it’s as a direct result of the dashcam footage that we have been able to secure convictions and remove these dangerous drivers from our roads.”

For more information about Operation Snap or to submit video footage, visit the Northamptonshire Police website here.