MORE than 80 suspected disqualified drivers have been arrested in the last month following a police campaign.

Thames Valley Police Traffic Department officers swooped on 87 banned drivers across Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire.

The officers used information from more than 30 calls made to the Thames Valley Crimestoppers hotline and caught the suspects through an intelligence strategy.

Inspector Dave Hartin, head of the traffic management team, said he is very pleased with the results.

"Disqualified drivers are deliberately flouting the law," he explained. "They all know they are disqualified from driving by the courts, but they choose to ignore that fact.

"They are a danger to law-abiding road users and have no insurance."

In Buckinghamshire, a total of 31 people were arrested in last month's operation. There are around 7,000 disqualified drivers out of two million people who live in the Thames Valley Police Force area.

Of those who had their licence taken away, it has been estimated that more than 40 per cent are still driving on a regular basis.