ROAD policing officers stopped and checked 74 vehicles this week as part of an operation to rid the roads of dangerous and poorly-driven lorries.

The checks, carried out under Operation Mermaid, a nationwide campaign to improve road safety, were held at Birchanger services off the M11 on Wednesday September 23 and on the A12 the day before.

Both were supported by officers from the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA).

At Birchanger 30 vehicles were checked and four mechanical defects were found with three leading to prohibitions.

A total of 62 driver’s hours infringements were found and one driver was prohibited from continuing his journey. A total of �1480 was collected in fines and deposits.

The previous day 44 vehicles were stopped, 22 mechanical defects were found, of which 15 were serious enough to receive prohibitions.

Officers detected 141 driver’s hours infringements and one driver was prohibited from continuing his journey until having a rest break.

One vehicle was a seized for having no insurance and �1300 was collected in fines and deposits.