POLICE cracked down on dangerous driving around Dorchester as part of Dorset’s ongoing ‘no excuse’ campaign.

Officers in and around the county town had issued 106 tickets by 3pm yesterday for offences including speeding, driving without seatbelts and using mobile phones.

Officers surrounded the town with the ‘ring of steel’ as they launched a new online course designed to teach offenders about the dangers of not wearing a seatbelt while driving.

The county’s road safety manager Robert Smith told a press conference at Dorchester Corn Exchange that almost two thirds of drivers caught during the no excuse campaign so far were speeding.

He also said that men, particularly young men, ‘are unfortunately over-represented.’ Chief Inspector Bob Nichols, of Dorset Police’s specialist operations unit, said the purpose of yesterday’s surround the town operation was to raise the profile of the no excuse campaign.

He added: “We want to show just how many people are putting their lives at risk.

“The thing that’s driven me is I’m trying to avoid having to make my staff visit people to tell them that their loves ones have died just a few hours earlier.”

Nearly 15,000 motoring offences have been detected by police officers and speed camera operators running the no excuse campaign between January and September.

The Dorset Echo joined two police officers on patrol as they targeted vehicles caught breaking the rules of the road yesterday.

In just over an hour the officers had pulled over five motorists.

They included a Stalbridge woman aged 69 who was driving from an appointment at Dorset County Hospital in a green Rover without wearing a seatbelt.

She was given the opportunity to attend a video seatbelt awareness course taking place in Poundbury later in the day rather than pay a £60 fine.

Just 20 minutes later, the officers pulled over a 28-year-old Broadstone man who was driving a hire van at 44mph in a 30mph zone.

The officers issued an on-the-spot £60 fine and added three penalty points to his licence.

Shortly afterwards, the officers stopped an elderly man driving a VW van in Poundbury who was not wearing his seatbelt.

He told the officers he had just bought fish and chips for his lunch and had wanted to get back home quickly to eat them.

Again, the driver was told to attend the video seatbelt awareness course to avoid a fine.

Just 20 minutes later, the officers pulled over an Owermoigne woman aged 29 who was driving a silver Toyota without wearing a seatbelt in Bridport Road.

She was also told to attend the seatbelt awareness course.

A short time later, the officers stopped a 39-year-old Symonds-bury woman who was driving a Mitsubishi Space Wagon while using a mobile phone.

The officers were surprised to find the woman’s four-month-old asleep in the back before issuing a £60 fine and adding three penalty points to her licence.