THURROCK MP Jen Craft joined Essex Police officers on a recent crackdown on rogue drivers.

Ten men were arrested after the deployment of an operation targeting criminal activity on the south Essex road network.

Officers from Roads Policing, the Operational Support Group (OSG) and Intelligence worked together to intercept vehicles in Thurrock and Basildon using proactive stops and automatic number plate recognition (ANPR).

The team were joined by Mrs Craft who attended to see the work taking place to make roads safer in her constituency.

Highlights of the operation included two men being arrested after an officer spotted an Audi that raised suspicions on the A13. The car was pulled over, and the driver failed a drugs wipe. He was arrested for drug driving.

The passenger was searched and found to be concealing bags of cannabis and two knives down his tracksuit trousers. He was arrested for drug possession and possession of bladed articles.

A routine traffic stop led to a man being arrested on suspicion of possession of drugs with intent to supply. The officers pulled a man over after seeing him driving erratically in Thurrock.

Officers established he was already disqualified from driving and found significant quantities of Class A and B drugs during searches. It was later revealed that he had previously been deported and he's now being investigated for illegal entry into the UK.

Three other arrests were made for drug driving, and a man was also detained for failure to provide a sample when requested.

In total, 67 vehicles were stopped, six cars and one motorbike were seized, and 18 tickets were issued for traffic offences.

The team also focused on exploitation and road safety in the gig economy, working in partnership with the Home Office.

The 'gig' economy is a labor market based on temporary, flexible, and freelance jobs where people get paid for individual tasks or 'gigs' instead of earning a steady salary

Riders working for takeaway delivery companies were checked to make sure they had the correct licences, insurance and the legal right to work.

Thirty-nine immigration checks were carried out, and three arrests were made for immigration offences, including illegal entry to the UK and overstaying a visa.