SIXTEEN people have been arrested and around 50 fined as police swept through Wisbech in a crime crackdown today.

Operation Surf - a day-long multi-agency effort - has seen thousands of pounds worth of fines dished out for a wide-range of motoring offences.

Cambs Police took to the streets at around 6am with staff from the DVLA, UKBA (Border Agency), HMRC (Revenue & Customs) and ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) in various locations throughout the town.

Sixteen people were arrested in the early hours for offences ranging from drugs possession to theft. One vehicle was seized under Section 165 of the Road Traffic Act for having no insurance.

A driver was fined �500 for running his vehicle on red diesel as HMRC spent the day diesel-dipping suspicious vehicles. �260 on-the-spot fines were issued to the drivers of 13 vehicles which were clamped for having no road tax.

Twenty-eight fixed-penalty notices were given to drivers for a range of offences, from driving without wearing a seatbelt to using a mobile phone while at the wheel.

Insp David Liddle said: “We’re always telling the public what we’re doing but this shows us out there doing it. Today is as much about community engagement as anything else. “The day’s been a culmination of a number of agencies coming together for maximum impact and it’s been a success.”

The agencies were joined throughout the day by Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service, PCSOs, Roddons Housing staff and members of Fenland District Council’s licensing and housing compliance team.

Many visited houses across the town to speak to residents about their concerns and offer advice about how to stay safe and help prevent crime. There were also high-visibility patrols in the town centre.

Licensing checks will continue throughout the evening. A similar day of action has taken place in St Neots.