A stolen trailer was recovered, three vehicles were seized and a person was arrested during a rural crime crackdown in Somerset. Avon and Somerset Police worked with rangers from the Mendip Hills National Landscape on Friday, 17 July, in an operation aimed at offences affecting rural communities and road safety.

The operation brought together neighbourhood policing teams, mounted officers, roads policing units, off-road motorcyclists, response vehicles and vehicle examiners. Police said community intelligence was used to identify areas of concern and target offending.

Officers stopped and checked all towing vehicles encountered during the operation. In one case, police initially identified an untaxed vehicle before discovering the horse trailer it was towing had been stolen.

The operation resulted in 87 vehicle checks and four vehicles being stopped following reports from the community. Three vehicles were seized for offences including having no insurance, no tax and being in a dangerous condition.

Police also recovered the stolen trailer and made one arrest linked to drink or drug driving. A trailer was prohibited from further use because of defective brakes, while a commercial lorry was also prohibited from further use until it was taxed.

One mobile phone offence and one red-light offence were also reported. Police said the work formed part of a wider effort to disrupt offending in and around rural Somerset communities.

While enforcement took place across the rural road network, mounted and neighbourhood officers also spoke with residents, businesses, landowners and visitors. Patrols covered Priddy, the Mineries, Blackdown, Wavering Down, Crook Peak, Hinton Charterhouse and surrounding areas.

Police said the patrols gave local people the chance to raise concerns directly with officers. Issues discussed included rural crime, vehicle offending, fly-tipping and illegal waste activity.

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PC Mark Hicks, who led the operation, said: "This operation highlights the power of community reporting. Thanks to information received from local people, we were able to identify and respond to offences quickly, keep our roads safe, hold perpetrators to account, and protect businesses that operate within the law.

"Rest assured, this was not a one-off operation, and we'll continue to work with our rural partners to disrupt offending in and around Somerset communities.

"We are grateful to Mendip residents' continued vigilance and encourage any further concerns or information to be reported to your local neighbourhood policing team – either online, via 101, or at your closest police enquiry office."

Residents are being urged to continue reporting suspicious activity in rural areas.

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