VI testers arrested
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following test claims
by Rob Willock • Essex hauliers should be ready for a rigorous and wideranging enforcement regime following the arrest of two Vehicle Inspectorate lorry examiners charged with issuing operators with fraudulent annual test certificates.
The pair were arrested at the Purfleet HGV Test Station last week following a joint investigation by Essex police and the VI "lasting some months".
"This follows allegations that it was possible to obtain test certificates for defective vehicles from the Purfleet Test Station," says a VI spokeswoman.
The VI sent its auditors to Purfleet to check the allegations before liaising with Essex police for a full investigation.
Two members of the public were also arrested during Friday's raid, though one was subsequently released without charge. "Three men remain subject to continued enquiries," a police spokesman confirms. "Two of these were employees of the test centre."
Both VI staff members were granted bail until March; the VI has suspended them pending its own internal disciplinary procedures and has promised to step up enforcement checks in Essex "to ensure that none of the vehicles tested at Purfleet are dangerous".
VI chief executive Ron Oliver stresses that the "huge majority" of his staff are law abiding. "Where necessary it investigates any concerns or suspicions thoroughly with a view to taking firm and decisive action," he adds.