M6 lorry driver caught high on cocaine and van with ‘obvious mechanical defects’ stopped during week of action on Lancashire’s roads

Lancashire Police took part in a week of action codenamed Operation Vertebrae which aimed to tackle commercial vehicle crime on the motorway network.

Officers pulled commercial vehicles off the motorway network to check for illegal loads, vehicle defects or anything else that could put other road users in danger.

Four days were spent at Cuerden where the M65, M61 and M6 meet, and one day focussed on traffic leaving the port at Heysham.

In one incident, officers stopped a 44-tonne lorry that was being driven by someone high on cocaine.

Police also stopped a lorry that was pulling an illegally wide load of solid concrete, as well as a flatbed truck that was metal poles that had nothing holding them down.

Other stops included:

- A HGV which was carrying 11 tonnes more than it was legally allowed

- A van with no MOT, bald tyres and a host of other mechanical issues

- A tipper truck carrying a pile of cement which was too heavy for the vehicle

- A Sprinter van brought in with obvious mechanical defects including a completely collapsed front suspension. In the back of the van was a large amount of unlicensed scrap precious metal. Police said there were also “immigration offences in relation to the driver.”

Chief Insp Matt Willmot, of Lancashire Police’s TacOps team, said: “You may have seen us out and about, carrying out a week of surge activity to tackle commercial vehicle crime.

“Commercial vehicles make up a large percentage of traffic on our roads and it is important they comply with all laws and regulations – not least because large, heavy vehicles which aren’t following legal requirements can pose a very real danger to others. For example, an overloaded vehicle has a drastically increased braking distance, putting the driver and other motorists in danger.

“The examples we've given are just a small selection of the issues we’ve dealt with, but we hope they demonstrate the importance of everybody complying with the law to keep our roads safe.

Officers were supported by partner agencies including HMRC, Border Force, the Home Office immigration team, the Environment Agency and more.

354 vehicles were brought into the check sites and of those, 204 were issued with fixed penalty notices or prohibition orders by Lancashire Police.

A further 12 HGVs and 31 LGVs were handed a prohibition order by the Driver Vehicle Standards Agency.

Two HGV drivers also tested positive for drugs and of the ‘abnormal loads’ brought in, every single one was found to be non-compliant to one degree or another.

Fines totalling £16k were issued, which will go to the courts and tribunals service.

“We also hope they send a message that we, and partner agencies, will not stand for dangerous vehicles or dangerous driving on Lancashire’s roads, and we will deal robustly and proportionately with those who put other motorists in danger,” Chief Insp Willmot added.

“Our thanks go to the partner agencies who have supported the operation.”