Sixteen fixed penalty notices of £100 each have been issued and vehicles seized as part of a crackdown on anti-social driving on Stourbridge Ring Road. The enforcement action follows a public meeting held by Stourbridge MP Cat Eccles in August, which hundreds of concerned residents attended.
Joint enforcement operations target speeding and noise
Dudley Council’s community safety team, West Midlands Police, and the road harm reduction team have launched a series of joint operations using drones, video evidence, speed checks, and on-the-ground patrols to tackle speeding and vehicle noise. The first fines for noisy exhausts have been issued following drone-assisted enforcement activity.
Motorists whose vehicles were found to be breaching the Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) have received the fines. A recent operation saw the road harm reduction team join Stourbridge police for speed checks, with several drivers caught exceeding the limit in under an hour.
MP welcomes action after residents' concerns
Cat Eccles said: "I am delighted to see real action being taken following the concerns raised by local residents. At my recent speeding public meeting, people spoke passionately about the impact that excessive vehicle noise, speeding and anti-social driving were having on their quality of life. The latest enforcement activity demonstrates that those concerns have been heard and acted upon."
Dudley Council has since pledged to ramp up enforcement and is planning a larger vehicle compliance operation later this year in partnership with the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA).
Operation Hercules targets illegal street racing
On Saturday, September 19, action was taken under Operation Hercules in response to reports of illegal street racing on Mill Race Lane and the ring road. Officers seized four vehicles, issued multiple traffic offence tickets, and reported one driver for driving offences.
Cat added: "From speed checks catching speeding drivers on the Ring Road, to fines for noisy exhausts and the successful Operation Hercules enforcement action on Saturday 19 September targeting illegal street racing, there is a clear determination from all agencies involved to tackle these issues. I would like to thank the council officers, police teams and enforcement partners involved for their hard work and commitment. Residents have continued to report concerns and that information has been invaluable in helping to target activity where it is needed most. I know local people will welcome this action, and I will continue working closely with our partners to ensure we keep up the pressure and make our roads safer for everyone."
Andrew Stevens, safer communities street outreach officer at Dudley Council, confirmed that further enforcement operations are planned in the coming weeks.
