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Operation Mermaid unearths a variety of offences in Wales
Page 12
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The police and Vosa crack down on CV drivers breaking hours regs and driving vehicles with dangerous defects. Chris Tindall reports.
A BLITZ on drivers flouting drivers' hours and vehicle maintenance laws on the M4 in Wales revealed a number of offenders including a driver of a 44-tonne artic who had been working for 211/2 hours.
Trucks and vans with dangerous defects were pulled off the motorway byVosa,police,and HM Revenue and Customs officers as part of the national check on goods vehicles known as Operation Mermaid.
Officers found: • Two international and two UK drivers driving over their legally allowed hours • Nine vehicles with defective tyres and brakes • Two vehicles over their weight limits: one Ford Transit was 100% overweight • Four light goods vehicles with no insurance and four with no tax The attic driver was prohibited from driving for 11 hours. One person arrested for theft and handling stolen JCB plant has since been hailed. The Department for Works and Pensions is investigating six drivers on suspicion of working while claiming benefits.
Sergeant Rowan Moore says: "All those drivers caught for offences were prosecuted and we will continue to check the roads and work to make sure motorists are not put at risk."
Chief Inspector Darren Phillips, Deputy Head of South Wales Police Roads Policing Unit, adds: The message is clear — we will continue to run these operations regularly to deal robustly with those who choose to drive in South Wales and commit offences."