Overloaders hit in Hants
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• A campaign against overloaded vehicles in Hampshire has led to 54 operators and drivers being fined a total of £26,000 at Southampton Magistrates Court.
Of 340 vehicles checked 155 were found to be overweight.
One timber truck was overloaded by 14 tonnes; another artic's load of concrete blocks was so badly distributed that it was 100% overweight on the steering axle. Over 200 summonses were issued to drivers and operators who had overloaded their vehicles by more than two tonnes.
County Trading Standards officer David Hughes says: "This is a very serious problem and each offence carries a maximum penalty of £2,000." The enforcement campaign will continue and Hughes urges all drivers to weigh their vehicles if they suspect they are overweight. "We have lists of public weighbridges in Hampshire, the South-East and nationwide which are all available to drivers," he adds.