Police crackdown on motorists who overtake bin lorries dangerously

Wakefield Council and West Yorkshire Police are starting a campaign to crackdown on impatient drivers who travel along pavements in order to overtake bin lorries.

Motorists are being warned that they could face prison time for endangering lives. Bin lorries and cleaning vehicles in Wakefield have been fitted with CCTV on all sides of the vehicle to capture motorists in the act.

• The waste management company, Biffa, has estimated that there are:

In Wakefield District, there is one reported incident every two months but this figure is believed to be higher as all incidents are not being reported.

The law makes it illegal to drive on or over a pavement, footpath or bridleway except to gain lawful access to property, or in the case of an emergency.

Inspector Richard Clare, West Yorkshire Police, said: " We will be reviewing the CCTV provided by the Council, and seek to prosecute offenders wherever possible. This is purely about drivers being in a hurry, and we simply ask drivers to use patience not pavements."

There is a number of offences that a driver can be charged with for driving on a pavement with the most severe carrying a prison term of 14 years.