POLICE stopped more than 100 drivers in the first two weeks of a crackdown on motoring offences in Keighley.

Following the success of Operation Steerside in combating dangerous driving in Bradford, West Yorkshire Police expanded this offensive to Keighley, with backing from Keighley Town Council.

Figures released today show police stopped 110 drivers and seized five vehicles in and around the town between October 20 and last Thursday.

Twenty-four people were pulled over for speeding, 48 for not wearing a seatbelt, 14 for driving while using a phone, six for insurance related offences and 18 for other offences.

During just one day within this period – last Wednesday – police said they issued 10 tickets to motorists in Keighley for a variety of offences including speeding, driving without due care and attention and failure to use a seatbelt.

Reacting this week to the figures, Keighley MP John Grogan said: "Bad and dangerous driving is a concern of many Keighley residents who don’t feel safe on their local roads.

"Operation Steerside has made a good start in targeting offenders in the Keighley area who are putting the lives of other drivers and pedestrians at risk. To have a lasting impact on behaviour this campaign now needs to run well into 2018."

The 1,000 vehicle seizure as part of the overall Operation Steerside campaign was made in Keighley last Wednesday (Nov 1), when officers confiscated an uninsured Audi A4 from the West Lane area.

Police action against suspect vehicles in Keighley continued last weekend and into this week.

An officer reported via Twitter that a speed watch operation in the town resulted in a pursuit, a car and drugs being seized and one person detained for driving offences and possession of drugs with intent to supply.

In a separate message posted on Sunday, police in Keighley reported issuing 11 tickets as part of Operation Steerside, as well as finding and seizing drugs.

On Monday, a car on the school run was stopped by police in Braithwaite. Officers stopped the vehicle in Whinfield Avenue and seized it after discovering the driver had no licence or insurance.

Steerside was launched in support of the Stop the Danger Drivers campaign mounted by the Telegraph & Argus paper.

The operation was brought to Keighley after concerns were raised with neighbourhood team inspector Khalid Khan about anti-social use of vehicles in the town.

Steerside mainly targets "Fatal Four" offences – speeding, using a mobile phone while driving, not wearing a seat belt and drink/drug driving – as these are the four leading contributory factors in serious road traffic collisions.

Sergeant Cameron Buchan, who is leading the operation, said: “While we're currently focusing on Keighley we want people to know that we're continuing to operate across Bradford District/

“We'd like to thank Keighley Town Council for their support of our operations in the town and hope our work here and elsewhere across the district is helping to make the roads safer for all.

“We're committed to targeting those who drive dangerously and anti-socially and removing them from the roads.

“The public can also play their part by sending in dashcam footage of dangerous driving in Bradford district to send it in to bd.steerside@westyorkshire.pnn.police.uk so we can review these matters and take further action where we're able.”

Reacting to the Steerside figures for Keighley, Councillor Michael Westerman, chairman of Keighley town council's watch and transport committee, said: "These are very good results. Keighley Town Council put £5,000 towards this and it shows that ratepayers money is being well spent."

Keighley town mayor Cllr Mohammed Nazam said: "I want to thank inspector Khalid Khan and his team, who are an asset to our town.

"They're sending a strong message out to the perpetrators of these offences, showing them that if they break the law they will be caught. The town council is fully behind this."

Cllr Barry Thorne, who recently warned of the menace of speeding boy racers in West Lane, said: "Sometimes it's like the wild west when you drive around Keighley, so these police figures are brilliant. I want to congratulate the police and hope they can keep up the good work."

Incidents and information regarding anti-social use of vehicles can be reported by email to bradforddistrictasbbiketeam@westyorkshire.pnn.police.uk or by answerphone on 01274 373968.