Operation Vanguard saw road officers in Angus out in force yesterday in an attempt to detect crime on the county's roads and disrupt criminal activity.

And officers have been left both delighted and in despair over the sheer number of offenders caught.

"On the one hand we are extremely satisfied to have detected so many offences on the roads in Angus, but at the same time we are extremely disappointed that drivers and vehicle owners are ignoring their responsibilities and using vehicles illegally," said Inspector Gordon Milne, the head of road policing in Angus.

"As well as spotting vehicle-related offences, operations of this type also disrupt criminal activity on our roads. Any intelligence we collect during this type of effort assists Tayside Police and other police forces in the future.

"Criminals and drivers who show a criminal disregard for their responsibilities on the road should be aware that this was not a one-off campaign. It was a concerted effort that demonstrated the kind of work we do, day in-day out.

"The message from Tayside Police is crystal clear – If you are prepared to break the law whilst driving or operating a vehicle in Angus, then you should be prepared for the consequences. You will be caught and appropriately dealt with," he added.

Of the 160 vehicles pulled over during the operation, four vehicles were seized and taken off the road for not having insurance cover. Another three vehicles were seized after they were found to be running on red diesel.

Three drivers were also stopped for driving licence offences and 21 van drivers were handed fixed penalty fines for seat belt infringements.

Defective vehicles – 32 in all – were also stopped by police officers, with light faults and serious defects with brakes, tyres and dangerous bodywork all found.

During the course of the operation a van driver was also traced at the scene of a collision and found to be over the permitted drink-drive limit.

Not all of the 160 vehicles stopped were guilty of offences though. Police officers, working with HM Customs and Excise officials, also gave advice to 21 drivers and vehicle owners regards use of tachographs, driver hours, carrying passengers in a dangerous way and load security.