Lancashire Police have been running an operation focussing on illegal immigration and human trafficking, as well as road traffic offences.
‘Operation Invigor’ ran from January 28 until February 6, during which 200 vehicles and trailers were inspected. 87 of those vehicles were found to be committing road traffic offences.
Identified offences included but were not limited to:
- Weight offences over the legal limit
- Mobile phone use at the wheel
- No seat belt worn
- Suspected drug driving offences in HGVs/LGVs
- Mechanical defects resulting in an immediate prohibition for serious road safety concerns
- Insecure loads resulting in an immediate prohibition
One such case was a HGV on its way to work at Royal Preston Hospital. The concrete pumping engineering plant HGV was weighed, and it was found that the axle and gross vehicle weights exceeded authorised weight regulations.
Worryingly, on inspection the vehicle was found to have no brakes on the rear axle at all, so was prohibited from being driven until fixed. Furthermore, the driver failed a drug wipe, testing positive for cannabis. Cannabis was also found within the vehicle and seized by officers.
The driver (35) from Huddersfield, Yorkshire was arrested on suspicion of drug driving, and has since been released pending further enquiries. The vehicle remains at DVSA Cuerden awaiting the proper registration, legal authority (including insurance) and the repair of brakes prior to being driven on our roads again.
Sergeant Peter Snook from Lancashire Police’s Specialist Operations Commercial Vehicle Unit said: “Our objective is always to keep Lancashire’s communities and roads safe by reducing the number of people who choose to break the law whilst driving.
“During Operation Invigor, the team, including partners from DVSA, Home Office Border Force, Intelligence and Immigration Crime teams interacted with 200 vehicles and trailers. It was a fantastic team effort, not forgetting our furry four-legged team members too!
“We never know what any vehicle inspection will reveal, and we’re fully prepared to deal with whatever is found. Fortunately, no human trafficking or modern slavery offences were identified, however our work continues in this important area of public safety.
“My sincere thanks to our partners for their support and collaboration during the operation, and for the patience of the public who were interacted with.”
