An overweight vehicle was stopped at Sandbach Services as part of Operation Crossbow

By Deborah Bowyer 24th Jun 2025

An overwegith vehicle travelling to Luton was stopped as part of Operation Crossbow. (Photo: Cheshire Police)
An overwegith vehicle travelling to Luton was stopped as part of Operation Crossbow. (Photo: Cheshire Police)

An overweight vehicle and several stop and searches were carried out in Sandbach as part of Operation Crossbar, a major crackdown to disrupt criminality across Cheshire East.

Cheshire Police say one arrest was made and eight stop and searches carried out along with two prohibition notices issued as part of yesterday's (Monday's) operation.

The overweight vehicle was travelling to Luton and stopped at Sandbach services. Police say in total the following happened in Sandbach yesterday, mostly at the service stations:

  • 8x TORs issued
  • 8x stop and searches conducted (all negative)
  • 1x arrest made
  • 2x PG9 prohibition notices issued
  • X1 PG170 notice issued

Neaby in Alsager, speeding motorists were targeted as part of the police operation, Operation Crossbow.

A speed enforcement operation was set up yesterday (Monday) in Station Road as part of the crackdown but Cheshire Police say no one was found to be breaching the speed limit.

Over 100 officers from various departments worked alongside colleagues from Staffordshire Police, British Transport Police, Trading Standards, Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency and the Motorway Insurance Bureau to bring criminals to justice.

A man was arrested on an extradition warrant in Crewe, for an offence in Romania dating back to 2019 (Cheshire Police).

Officers from localised Beat Teams, Neighbourhood Policing Teams, Drone Unit, Roads and Crime, Motorbike Unit, Special Constables and the Dog Unit were also joined by colleagues from Immigration Enforcement and the Home Office in visits to addresses linked to modern day slavery and immigration offences.

Following an 8am briefing from Chief Constable, Mark Roberts, and Superintendent, Andy Blizard, officers rolled out from Crewe's Apollo Buckingham Health Sciences Campus, Crewe Green Road.

Assisting their colleagues from Immigration and Trading Standards, officers visited 12 commercial premises in Crewe, including Nantwich Road, West Street and Market Street, to locate and seize illegal tobacco and vape products.

This operation led to five Crewe businesses being fined, with around £5,000 of unlawful products seized.

Another man was arrested on an extradition warrant in Crewe, for an offence in Romania dating back to 2019.

Cheshire Police and Immigration and Trading Standards officers visited 12 commercial premises in Crewe, including Nantwich Road, West Street and Market Street, to locate and seize illegal tobacco and vape products (Gary Wilson).

Chief Inspector Cameron Taylor, who oversaw the operational response, said: "The successful operation is a testament to the hard work of the many officers from several departments across the Constabulary and our partner organisations coming together to directly target criminality within the eastern area of Cheshire.

"We have seen a high number of traffic offences reported and several vehicles seized that were either being driven dangerously, were not safe to be driven or incorrectly insured, thus further limiting the likelihood of incidents and continually making Cheshire's roads safe for those who live, work and travel through the county.

"I would like to take this opportunity to thank our partner agencies as well as our officers from the Roads and Crime Unit and our Local Policing teams in their activity across the eastern area of the county as part of Operation Crossbow.

Around 50 people were captured speeding in both Crewe and Nantwich during Operation Crossbow (Cheshire Police).

"Their proactivity and engagement have helped us identify and remove drivers that should not have gotten behind the wheel.

"Alongside taking proactive action against those misusing the roads, we also used the deployment as an opportunity to provide education to motorists, familiarising them with the Fatal Five offences and utilising the team from the Commercial Vehicles Unit to ensure drivers carrying heavy loads along our roads were aware of the appropriate regulations regarding how much they can legally carry.

"I hope this sends out a strong message that if you commit crime in Cheshire, or on Cheshire's roads, you will be caught, and we will utilise all of the tactics and resources at our disposal to ensure you are held accountable."

Over the course of the day, officers and their colleagues spread across the county and executed a number actions including; weight checks of vehicles carrying heavy loads on the motorways and conducting stop and search operations in the county's busiest railway stations.

Officers also seized non-roadworthy vehicles and stopped drivers on busy roads who were without insurance, not wearing seatbelts, and being distracted by using mobile phones or Sat Navs whilst behind the wheel.

Over 100 officers from various departments worked alongside colleagues from Staffordshire Police, British Transport Police, Trading Standards, Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency and the Motorway Insurance Bureau to bring criminals to justice (Cheshire Police).

Chief Constable, Mark Roberts added: "Our officers are committed to protecting our communities and work tirelessly every day to prevent and disrupt criminal activity.

"This latest operation shows just a small snapshot of their unwavering efforts as these are all areas in which we excel at day in, day out, and are part of our everyday policing tactics to continue to keep people safe and reduce crime.

"Operations like this send out a strong message that Cheshire is a hostile environment for those who wish to commit crime and that anyone who chooses to abuse our roads will be located and held accountable for their actions."

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