West Mercia Police cracks down on unsafe commercial vehicles
Inspections uncover overloaded vehicles, faulty equipment, and multiple traffic offences as officers prioritise road safety
West Mercia Police continues to ensure that commercial vehicles on local roads are safe and compliant with road traffic legislation.
It follows a two-week series of inspections as part of the national Commercial Vehicle Operation.
Inspector Darren Godsall, from the West Mercia Road Policing Team, explained that officers conducted both proactive patrols and targeted checks across the force area, examining all types of commercial vehicles, from small vans to heavy goods vehicles.
He said: “Our key priority is road safety.
“We want to reduce the number of people killed or injured on the roads, and these operations help ensure everyone uses the roads safely.”
During inspections, officers commonly encounter issues with vehicle condition, including worn tyres, faulty braking systems, and overloaded trailers.
Inspector Godsall emphasised that drivers should ensure their vehicles are insured for business use, not overloaded, properly maintained, and that all loads are securely tied down.
During the inspection, operations were carried out in Church Stretton, Droitwich, and at Strensham Services, resulting in action against 90 vehicles for a range of offences, including:
- Multiple vans and lorries found overweight or with insecure loads
- Expired MOTs, road tax issues, and seatbelt offences
- Five illegal tyre offences
- 13 speeding offences
- Vehicles without proper tachograph records or licences
- Three dangerous vehicles seized
- Three mobile phone offences
- Two arrests for driving under the influence of drugs
West Mercia Police continue to make roads across Shropshire, Worcestershire, and Herefordshire safer for everyone to protect all road users.