Motorists driving at speeds of up to 114mph and those using mobile phones while at the wheel were among those targeted in a Wiltshire police operation.

Operation Vortex is a regional operation with the aim of reducing the number of road casualties by targeting drivers flouting road safety and vehicle legislation.

The operation arose after research showed that there is a widespread view amongst drivers that they are unlikely to be caught for road safety offences, despite the fact that excessive speed and inappropriate driving are two of the major factors in the most serious of road collisions.

The operation used unmarked police cars to patrol set routes around Wiltshire on a specific day. All those stopped were educated on the potential implications of their actions and a number of these were prosecuted for a variety of offences.

The results from the campaign in Wiltshire are as follows: excess speed – 41 prosecutions (the highest speed recorded being 114 mph); using a mobile phone whilst driving – 25 prosecutions; driving without insurance – nine prosecutions; not wearing a seat belt – 20 prosecutions; no MOT – seven prosecutions; careless driving – two prosecutions; vehicles seized – nine; vehicle defect notices issued – 21.

Chief Inspector Nick Elton from the Wiltshire Police Road Policing Unit said: “Dedicated police teams from Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, Avon and Somerset, Dorset, Devon and Cornwall and Wiltshire joined together to deliver targeted patrols.”

He added: “Last year 262 people were killed on roads in the south west of England, with 40 of these fatalities being in Wiltshire alone. In addition to this, more than 19,000 people were injured on roads in the region, 2170 of these being in Wiltshire.

"We want to highlight to drivers the presence of unmarked police cars. The intention is to make everyone think constantly about their driving behaviour and not only at times when a marked police car is in sight.”