Young drivers in the Oswestry area have been learning about safer motoring in a bid to cut down the number of crashes and incidents of bad driving.

The Motor Safe exhibition, featuring police, firefighters and driving groups, followed a police operation to crackdown on anti-social driving in Oswestry town centre.

Operation Sweep saw six cars seized and penalty tickets issued for a variety of offences.

Three police motorbikes, two marked police cars and two unmarked vehicles patrolled the town as part of the three-hour operation, stopping cars and escorting the drivers back to the police station to be examined by Vehicle & Operator Services Agency (VOSA) inspectors.

And yesterday, young drivers  voluntarily attended an event where their personalised cars were judged in a competition and they were able to get advice from police, firefighters and others involved in safe driving.

Young motorists from as far away as Ellesmere turned up at the event held in the car park of Oswestry’s Somerfield supermarket in Station Road.

Firefighter James Lewis said: “The fire service is keen to help promote safer driving, particularly among the young. We need to make people aware of the consequences of their actions on the roads.”

Six young drivers were given the opportunity to take part in a Drive Check with an instructor from the IAM and an accompanied drive to evaluate their driving skills and feedback any areas where improvements can be made. 

Councillor Joyce Barrow, Oswestry Borough Council member for Sweeney and Trefonen, said: “Too many young lives are lost due to road accidents. By speaking to the drivers and their passengers, we can encourage them to be more careful.”