A police crackdown on unlicensed and uninsured vehicles – along with a crash and a stalled bus - slowed traffic into Hamilton to a crawl this morning.

A Bermuda Police Service spokesman said officers partnered with the Transport Control Department as part of a joint exercise to get unlicensed and uninsured vehicles off the roads.

He added: “What would normally have been a simple exercise was unexpectedly and significantly compromised by a road traffic collision in Paget - resulting in injury to the road user - as well as a Department of Public Transportation bus stalling at the South Roundabout.

“This combination of events resulted in problematic traffic delays for commuters heading east along South Shore Road, Middle Road and Harbour Road.

“Upon recognising the gravity of the traffic situation, the joint TCD/BPS initiative was stood down and officers redeployed to assist with clearing the congestion and improving the flow of traffic.”

The spokesman added the initiative would resume on Wednesday and Friday this week.

He said: “Whilst it is regrettable that road users were delayed this morning, the BPS and its partners are committed to ensuring safety on our roads.

“However, today’s operation was compromised by unforeseen events elsewhere, resulting in traffic congestion.”