12/10/2025
Right on Long Eaton's doorstep, an angry van driver was pulled over after unwittingly making a series of obscene hand gestures at police officers.
The man was travelling along the M1 on Friday morning (3 October) when he began gesticulating at the occupants of a passing HGV cab.
Unfortunately for him, the cab was being used as part of a regular road safety operation and contained members of the roads policing team.
The unsuspecting driver—one of more than 50 people fined during a four-day operation last week—was then pulled over by a police car.
After being spoken to at the roadside, the apologetic man was sent on his way with a fine, some words of advice, and a friendly reminder to mind his manners behind the wheel.
PC Pearce Riley said: “Whilst this incident understandably caused some amusement among the team, the potential consequences of not wearing a seatbelt really are no laughing matter.
“Had this man been involved in a motorway collision, his chances of walking away uninjured—or even walking away at all—would have been greatly reduced.
“And that’s why we do these operations: not to catch people out, but to reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries on our road network.”
During the course of last week’s Operation Tramline, officers used the cab’s elevated position to spot a range of other potentially dangerous offences—including people using their mobile phones at the wheel.
