• MPs of all parties are angered by the number
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of overloaded lorries on Britain's roads. In answer to a string of parliamentary questions this week, Junior Transport Minister Peter Bottomley revealed that in 1986, 31% of the trucks weighed by local authorities and 20% of those weighed by the Department of Transport were found to be overloaded.
Nearly half of those caught by the DTp were prosecuted, compared with less than a third of those caught by local authorites. The average fines were 2151 for a DTp prosecution and £187 for a local authority prosecution. This year, 100,000 lorries will be weighed, said Bottomley. He added that constant efforts are being made to improve enforcement by using new technology.