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Truck pollution is rising
Page 9
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• More polluting lorries are being stopped on Britain's roads. Figures released last week by the Department of Transport show that in a spot check of 5,759 lorries between April and September 320 trucks attracted prohibitions—a prohibition rate of 5.6%.
This compares with earlier figures of 4% and 5.2% in previous large checks. ln 1994 only 3.3% of vehicles checked by the roadside were given prohibitions. Roads Minister John Bowis says: "We must not be
complacent. Our campaign of surprise checks will continue, reminding everyone of the duty every vehicle user has to ensure their vehicle's exhaust emissions are within legal limits."
Trucks in East Anglia proved the dirtiest of all, with 14.9% receiving prohibitions during the six months, followed by the South-East where 13.7% were prohibited. Scotland, the SouthWest, Nottinghamshire and South Yorkshire had the cleanest vehicles.
Scotland's rate was 2.1%; by contrast, over the border in Cumbria 7.9% of the trucks stopped were prohibited.
Friends of the Earth says the figures suggest maintenance standards are declining among truck operators. The environmental pressure group wants much tougher emission standards for new lorries, says its senior transport campaigner Roger Higinan.