HGVs stopped by Mermaid...
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by Karen Miles • Nearly 2% of the trucks stopped during last Thursday's national road check were running without Operator's Licences and 6% were issued with immediate prohibitions.
But the police say that these results, which form part of the conclusions of Operation Mermaid, indicate that transport operators are generally "very, very good" although the industry is still tainted by the cowboy minority.
Around 6,000 trucks and vans were stopped across Britain, resulting in 375 immediate prohibitions, including one Special Types vehicle weighing 95 tonnes GVW which was found with defective brakes.
There were also 328 delayed prohibitions, and 313 drivers were told to repair their vehicles within 14 days. Tachograph offences were detected involving 333 drivers and there were 185 drivers hours offences, Police and Vehicle Inspectorate staff found a total of 327 vehicles running without Vehicle Excise Duty; 147 were overloaded, Forty one dangerous goods offences were discovered and 22 vehicles were found to be running on red diesel.
Police found two men on their way to an armed robbery, and in Cambridgeshire a 7.5-tonner containing 2.1-million cigarettes was discovered with unpaid duty of over £250,000.
Three illegal immigrants— including two drivers—were detained. No figures are yet available from the Benefits Agency on its results.
H Civil rights group Liberty is waiting for aggrieved drivers to come forward before attempting to mount a legal challenge to last week's Operation Mermaid.
Liberty believes the authorities illegally invade drivers' privacy when roadside checks on vehicles and drivers' hours are extended to allow Benefits Agency and Immigration officers to conduct checks.
And the group alleges that Benefits and Immigration staff who try to coerce drivers to speak are exceeding their statutory powers.
Liberty's legal advice line is on 0171 378 8659.