TWO cars were seized by police as officers conducted a blitz on bad driving on the Weymouth relief road.

A total of eight police officers patrolled the new road between Weymouth and Dorchester and drivers were stopped for having no insurance, no MOT or no tax.

Seven drivers, all female, were stopped during the two-hour operation.

The joint exercise by Dorchester Traffic and Weymouth police officers was set up in response to complaints about speeding since the new road opened.

But Sergeant Dave Stroud, of Dorchester Traffic, said no speeding cars were detected while officers were there using laser speed enforcement equipment.

But the Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system helped to detect two drivers with no insurance, three without tax and two drivers with no MOT.

Sgt Stroud said: “We dealt with seven drivers in total.

“Two vehicles were seized for not having insurance. The drivers of the two cars seized for having no insurance were both given a £200 fine and six penalty points were added to their driving licence.”

The operation was carried out between 10am and noon yesterday and drivers were seen being stopped at the lay-by one mile north of the Jurrasic Roundabout in Littlemoor.

The age of the women caught in the operation ranged from 29 years to their late 40s.

They were all local drivers with four from Weymouth and three coming from Dorchester.

Sgt Stroud said: “We were there in response to members of the public being concerned about speed since the road opened.

He added: “It was a joint initiative between traffic officers and Weymouth police.

“We took the opportunity to conduct some speed enforcement and used ANPR equipment to check multiple vehicles driving into Weymouth.”