Van man sentenced to 22 weeks and handed £2,700 court bill after not wearing a seatbelt on Northampton M1

A van driver found out it does not pay to advertise as he finished up behind bars after being caught without a seatbelt during a police crackdown on the M1 near Northampton.

Officers in an unmarked HGV spotted the driver of a white Mercedes-Benz Sprinter and his passenger not strapped in as they headed south on the motorway on September 28.

Checks revealed a catalogue of offences which led to the driver, Jamie Carl Alcock, aged 37, being jailed by Northampton magistrates the next day and facing a massive court bill.

Alcock, from Leeds, was wanted by West Yorkshire Police for failing to attend court in connection after being charged with driving an Audi A3 whilst disqualified in March this year and for breaching a court order.

He also pleaded guilty to driving whilst disqualified — again — and with no insurance, carrying an overweight load and not wearing a seatbelt.

Alcock appeared at Northampton Magistrates’ Court on September 29 and was sentenced to 22 weeks and fined a total of £2,393 for the offences in Northamptonshire and Leeds plus ordered to pay a further £298 in court costs and a surcharge to fund victim services.

He was also banned from driving for a further three years.

Alcock was caught during a two-day operation to crack down on illegal and irresponsible drivers using the county’s major road network using National Highways’ unmarked HGV ‘super cab’ to film unsafe driving behaviour.

Drivers seen committing an offence were then pulled over by a police car following a short distance behind.

As a result of checks, 29 vehicles were stopped including 16 HGV drivers and a total of 28 offences detected – 14 of which were for not wearing a seatbelt.

Eight drivers were stopped for using a mobile phone whilst driving, and one foreign national paid a £100 roadside fine after he was stopped for careless driving after nearly causing a collision.

PC Dave Lee, of Northamptonshire Police Safer Roads Team, said: “Holding a driving licence is both a privilege and a responsibility, especially for those who rely on our road networks to make a living.

“Some commercial drivers drive hundreds of miles each week across the UK and are sadly more likely to see the tragic consequences of poor driving standards, so it is always disappointing to still catch a small minority breaking the law.

“Although Operation Tramline has increased the chances of getting caught, which can only be a good thing, we would encourage all drivers to use our roads legally and responsibly to make sure everyone gets home safely.”

Last year in Northamptonshire, 29 people were killed and a further 280 seriously injured on the county’s road network – which is why Northamptonshire Police will be launching a new Road Policing Team in 2023.

This specialist team will have responsibility for policing the road network, taking ownership for road safety and road crime policing. The team will also have drone, family liaison and ANPR capability as well as providing a licensed search function.