SEVENTY per cent of goods vehicles stopped during a police crackdown in Lancashire were found to be travelling with defects.

Officers found problems with 87 out of 124 lorries, vans and coaches during spot checks at Samlesbury, Skelmersdale and Bolton West service station as part of Operation Mermaid on Tuesday.

The faults included a lorry travelling with wheel nuts tightened by hand, a lorry carrying a hazardous chemical load without suitable identification of safety equipment and a privately-owned coach with a wheel missing.

One person was arrested, 23 were cautioned and 14 questioned by the Benefits Agency.

Twenty-one vehicles were barred from continuing their journey until repair work had been completed.

The latest operation looked for drivers overrunning their time allowed at the wheel as well as vehicle defects.

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