THREE drivers were arrested at Benfleet as part of a police traffic operation.

The male driver of a Transit van was stopped at London Road yesterday and arrested when officers found he was wanted for theft and two counts of failing to pay for fuel.

A female driver was also stopped on suspicion of being involved in theft was also arrested for drink-driving. A male passenger in her car was arrested on suspicion of theft.

A woman was also arrested in Grays after checks found that she was wanted in connection with a £55,000 fraud.

The police stopped dozens of vehicles yesterday during an operation to detect and deter criminals, organised crime groups and gangs operating in Essex.

Operation Keats involved detectives and uniformed officers from both the Essex and Kent police forces sharing information and using automatic number plate recognition technology (ANPR) to identify and stop drivers of vehicles suspected of being involved in crime.

Suspect vehicles were intercepted by marked and unmarked motorbikes and patrol cars and taken to stop-check sites across Essex where further enquiries were carried out.

The stops were carried out on the A133 and A12 Colchester, the A13 at Benfleet, the A414 at Harlow and at Moto services at the junction of the M25 and the A13.

Det Supt Stuart Hooper, of Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, said: "Organised crime groups and urban street gangs use vehicles and the road network extensively for virtually all types of crime, including people-smuggling and drug-running.

"As a result criminals are at their most vulnerable when using the road network as they are in public domain and away from the comfort of their home addresses.

"Often their vehicles are carrying the tools for going equipped, have on board the proceeds of a crime or are used as a distribution tool for drug dealing.

"The information provided by ANPR also helps us to trace and arrest criminals during or after offences. This will also deter offenders from using their vehicles for crime.

"In addition to the arrests in Essex today, we also obtained very useful information in connection with a number of serious crimes including a multi-million fraud and an armed robbery.

"We will continue to regularly carry out Operation Keats days of action over the next six months.”

Eight vehicles were seized for having no insurance and various other motoring offences were detected.

At about 6pm, patrolling officers followed and stopped a motorbike rider who they saw travelling doing a wheelie at more than 100mph while undertaking cars on the eastbound A13 near the junction with Dock Approach Road, Grays.

The rider has been reported for dangerous driving. Any witnesses should contact the investigating officer Sgt Rob Brettell on 101.