London lorry ban checks ' are hit by lack of police
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• Six out of nine proposed checks to enforce the London lorry ban were cancelled in the first quarter of 1997. And the reason, according to a report from the director of the Lorry Control Unit (LCU) to the London Boroughs Transport Committee, is that the police could not afford to turn up.
However, it goes on to say that, despite the lost checks, "enforcement activity has continued at a high level".
During the first quarter of 1997 1,549 trucks were checked in London. More than 250 hauliers were fined for driving without a permit; another 200 face court proceedings.
LCU director John Hale says that since traffic work became less of a police priority more planned checks with a police presence have been cancelled.
"The Metropolitan Police now help with just 2% of our enforcement work," he says. "The rest is carried out by our officers driving around at night and mounting checks of
their own." The list of prosecuted companies includes most of the major players within the haulage industry.
Hale is not surprised by this: "Even in the best operations it's down to the driver," he points out. "Once he leaves the depot he's on his own."