40 light and heavy goods vehicles have been stopped and inspected in Bath as part of an ongoing campaign to check that they are in a safe condition to be on the road.
Last month, Bath & North East Somerset Council’s Road Safety Team joined the Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) and the Police Tri Force Special Operations Unit (Avon & Somerset Police, Wiltshire Police & Gloucestershire Police) in the operation to check that commercial vehicles are in a safe condition to be on the road.
40 light and heavy goods vehicles were stopped and inspected by DVSA examiners at two locations on Lower Bristol Road and the A4 Newton St Loe Bypass in Bath. 14 defects were identified.
These included:
- 3 vehicles immediately taken off the road due to defective tyres;
- 1 vehicle immediately taken off the road due to a licence offence and defective tyre;
- 1 vehicle taken off the road due to the driver having no licence;
- 4 vehicles issued with notices for issues such as corrosion, oil leak and transmission issues, which required the vehicles to be re-presented for an MOT;
- Various penalties and warnings issued relating to tachograph and driver’s hours issues.
Councillor Mark Shelford (Conservative, Lyncombe), Cabinet Member for Transport & Environment, said: “Although the majority of vehicles are being driven and operated lawfully, those that aren’t potentially put the safety of others at risk.
Some of the checks were carried out on the A4 Newton St Loe Bypass
“We acknowledge commercial vehicles are an essential part of the local economy and for delivering the goods we need, but the Council wants to do what it can to make sure that those vehicles are safe.
“We welcome the commitment of the Police and DVSA to target unlawful activities and we’re pleased to support this successful operation and other safety initiatives.”
Local enforcement manager for the Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency, Peter Bull, said: “DVSA’s priority is protecting you from unsafe drivers and vehicles.
“By working jointly with Bath & North East Somerset Council and the police, we’ve been able to target and take action against unsafe commercial drivers and vehicles in Bath.”
The agencies that took part hope to undertake a similar operation in the area later in 2018.
