OFFICERS from Gloucestershire's Special Constabulary were out in force last weekend, conducting road safety checks in Gloucester.

Operation Tuc Tuc was put into action after concerns from the public that some taxi and private hire drivers had been ignoring road signs, causing obstructions and speeding, particularly during late night pub and club hours.

Officers targeted problem hotspots like Parliament Street, Trier Way and the Barton Gates traffic lights between 7pm on Friday, April 10 and 2am on Saturday, April 11.

Speed checks were also carried out in Bristol Road, in Secunda Way, Hempsted and on Cheltenham Road, Longlevens.

A total of 29 vehicles were stopped, eight Traffic Offence Reports were issued for speeding, six Non-Endorsable Fixed Penalty Notices were issued for ignoring a 'no right turn' sign and a Vehicle Defect Rectification Scheme notice was issued for a sidelights offence.

Also, seven licensing checks were completed on private hire vehicles, one antisocial behaviour incident was attended and officers carried out a 1.5-hour high-visibility presence to deter vehicle obstruction offences.

Eight 'Specials' took part in the operation in conjunction with a regular police officer and the city council's licensing officer Darren Brice.

Sgt Rich Blythe said: "It was a very successful operation. Our high visibility helped to discourage taxi and private hire drivers from flouting the law.

"We hope to build on this in the future by rolling out the operation to other areas of the county."