Police challenged after checks cause tailbacks

Police have been questioned over their decision to carry out vehicle checks on the A90 near Dundee yesterday – causing “twenty-minute tailbacks”.

Drivers faced delays as officers pulled over vehicles close to the Bullionfield service station.

It took place near roadworks that had already reduced the eastbound carriageway to one lane – with queues stretching back to Longforgan.

Police Scotland said the checks were being held “in response to recent thefts”.

Councillor Alasdair Bailey, who represents the Carse of Gowrie, has now written to force bosses to question the timing of the operation.

In his letter to Chief Constable Sir Iain Livingstone, Mr Bailey wrote: “Public transport and other road users were held up by 20 minutes on their journeys as a result.

“I’m therefore concerned about the rationale of closing a lane to facilitate a non-emergency operation.”

He said he appreciated an “element of surprise” was needed but questioned the “safety case” for this operation given the disruption.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “We have received correspondence in relation to road checks on the A90 at Bullionfield, Dundee. A response will be sent in due course.”

In a post on Twitter, the force’s road policing unit said: “In response to recent thefts officers... carried out a multi-agency road check today on the A90 at Bullionfield targeting unsafe vehicles and criminals using the road networks.

“Numerous vehicles stopped and checked.”

An incident support unit and officials from the Driving and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) were also present.

Police were seen searching vans and taking statements from drivers.

One motorist travelling from Dundee to Perth said he saw a total of six police cars and a recovery vehicle on the scene and nearby.

The witness said: “We were driving towards Perth on the A90 when we noticed a large build-up of traffic on the ahead, on the eastbound carriageway heading towards Dundee.

“I was the passenger in the car and when we got closer we could see a heavy police presence and a number of other vehicles parked up in the layby.

“There were at least three police vehicles, including a van – perhaps more.

“A police officer was taking a statement from a man outside a vehicle. Traffic was nose to tail on the east carriageway and slowing up heading to Perth.

“Driving away, we passed two more police cars on the road and one waiting on a slip road just off the A90.

“It was really hard to work out what was going on, but it seemed like some kind of major police operation was under way.”

The police operation in progress on the A90.