TWO drivers were arrested on suspicion of drugs offences during a road safety operation on Canvey yesterday.

Officers from the Casualty Reduction Unit worked alongside colleagues from the Safer Essex Roads Partnership during the operation which aimed to detect offenders using the roads and increase road safety.

Automatic Number Plate Recognition technology was used to identify suspect vehicles which were then intercepted and taken to stop-check sites on Somnes Avenue and at Knightswick Shopping Centre.

During the operation, a 35-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of possession of class A drugs on Somnes Avenue just after 11am.

Mathew Peters, of Surig Road, Canvey has now been charged with possession of heroin and possession of crack cocaine.

He has been released on bail to appear at Basildon Magistrates’ Court on the morning of July 8, 2016.

Officers made two other arrests.

A 24-year-old man from Langdon Hills, Basildon, was arrested at Somnes Avenue at 11am on suspicion of drug driving, driving whilst disqualified and driving without insurance. He has been released on bail pending further enquiries until July 25, 2016.

A 43-year-old woman was arrested after officers discovered she was wanted on suspicion of making off without payment at a service station in Warley on June 15, 2016.

Deborah Whitbread of Finchingfield Avenue, Woodford Green was later charged with the offence and bailed to appear at Basildon Magistrates’ Court on the morning of July 8, 2016.

A number of traffic offences were also detected during the operation. Forty drivers were dealt with for not wearing a seatbelt including one who had failed to ensure their back seat child passenger was wearing a seatbelt.

Nine drivers were spotted using a mobile phone behind the wheel and two vehicles were seized because their drivers didn’t have appropriate insurance.

A total of nine vehicles were found not to have valid MOTs and two were found to have illegal tints on their windows and were instructed to remove them at the scene.

Sgt David Rudd from the Casualty Reduction Unit said: "This week we were delighted to be joined by The High Sheriff of Essex, Lorna Rolfe, who took a real interest in our work and was able to witness how we deal with a number of traffic offences.

"Essex Police takes a robust approach to drug driving 365 days a year but this month we are supporting the national Summer Anti-Drink and Drug Driving Campaign. Drug driving risks and ruins lives and new roadside drug testing kits mean we are better equipped than ever to detect offenders."

"If you drug drive, it is only a matter of time before you are caught and put before the courts. Please don’t drug drive.”