More than 5,000 motorists have been stopped by police thanks to a regional daily’s bid to crack down on dangerous driving.

The Bradford Telegraph & Argus launched its ‘Stop the Danger Drivers’ campaign almost a year ago, with the newspaper calling for better police action on bad driving among its demands.

As a result, West Yorkshire Police launched Operation Steerside to combat the problem in the city.

An editorial in the T&A revealed the figures and said the operation had been a “remarkable success”.

It reads: “Today, we can report that more than 5,000 motorists have been stopped by police who are mounting a crackdown on dangerous drivers in the Bradford district, in response to the Telegraph & Argus Stop the Danger Drivers Campaign and the public’s reaction to it.

“And police have also received a great deal of help from the public who have been providing evidence, some of it from dash cams, of incidents of law-breaking on our highways.

“The police deserve a great deal of credit for their commitment to the operation as do those citizens who have assisted them. People have also sent footage to the T&A, which we have featured in the paper and online to raise awareness of some of the appallingly bad driving in Bradford.

“Sadly, it’s a problem that is not going to be solved overnight but Operation Steerside is having a positive impact in taking danger drivers off the road.”

The editorial concludes: “Operation Steerside won’t make the issue of bad driving go away for good but it definitely has a big impact. Long may it continue.”