THERE'S nowhere to hide.

Police have just completed a two-day operation specifically targeted at catching criminals using one of Dorset and Hampshire's busiest roads.

Operation Utah was staged by a team of officers from the two forces on Thursday and yesterday and saw the use of automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) technology to monitor passing vehicles.

Sgt Mark Williams of Dorset Police said the aim of the operation was to detect and disrupt travelling criminals using the main route. On Thursday around 90 vehicles were identified by the ANPR system and pulled into a checkpoint off the A31, and yesterday the figure was expected to go over the 100 mark.

Any vehicles being driven uninsured or unlicensed were seized and taken away.

The vehicles were also checked by search officers and a representative from the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) was on hand to help establish whether a vehicle was fit for the road.

Searches were also made on the occupants in the car.

During the operation, officers uncovered over 100 counterfeit DVDs from a vehicle and stopped a number of unfit vehicles from going back on the road.

ANPR systems instantly check up to 3,000 vehicles an hour against various databases of intelligence.

This includes information, provided by police officers, Crimestoppers, the DVLA and other forces, about vehicles being driven by people suspected of committing crime, wanted on warrant and those used by disqualified drivers.

Sgt Williams said: "We use ANPR technology across Dorset, utilising mobile as well as fixed units, which means criminals can never second guess when we are watching.

"It doesn't matter where you are, you can't hide."

Figures from the two-day operation, which finished at 8pm last night, will be released next week.