A POLICE crackdown on dangerous vehicles revealed the shocking sorry state of some of Preston's buses, taxis and trucks.

Preston's Road Safety Unit stopped random vehicles for thorough checks in an intensive week-long campaign.

Some were in such poor condition they were immediately banned from the roads to undergo an emergency MOT, and some taxis had their licence plates removed.

The horrific findings included:

Six out of the seven buses declared faulty;

A bus wheel with nine of its ten bolts loose;

A taxi with a loose fuel tank;

A black cab suffering from such severe corrosion that police said it was 'totally unfit to be on the road'.

Inspectors checked 37 goods vehicles by Preston docks and found 22 of them had defects, with 19 taken off the roads. Problems included brakes, tyres, steering, lights, suspension and dangerous parts.

And out of 37 taxis, 17 were issued with prohibition notices and a third of those had their licences removed.

Sergeant Stewart Moxham, of the Road Safety Unit, said: "Many of the defects were extremely dangerous and could have caused serious accidents and deaths.

"The results are very disappointing and quite alarming considering how many buses, taxis and goods vehicles run in Preston and the high mileage they cover.

"The unit is continuing investigations and checks to try and reduce road accidents."

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