Fine dodgers arrested by police

Dozens of fine dodgers across County Durham have been arrested following a major crackdown.

Durham Police have joined forces with magistrates courts to run the operation which has involved calling at addresses across the county.

Among the areas which have been targeted are Darlington, Bishop Auckland, Newton Aycliffe and Crook.

So far 70 people have been arrested and are now due to appear before special court sittings.

The operation in County Durham is part of a national drive which started this week called Operation Payback.

'Not a one-off'

The government has spent £230,000 on a major advertising campaign warning defaulters.

Chief Inspector John Blacklock, of Durham Police, said he was pleased with how the operation had gone.

He said: "It is a joint operation to let people know that once fines are issued they can't ignore them.

"Some people seem to think if they ignore it, it will go away. We are going to have to put a stop to it.

"It's a lot easier if people come down to the courts and be aware this is not just a one-off. If we have called, they should phone the courts and sort it out before we come back."

He said one of the things they had found is that people had been getting in touch with them once they had found out about the operation.