MORE than half the lorries travelling through East Lancashire have defects, a survey has shown.

Sixty-five per cent of vehicles stopped by police as part of a nationwide crackdown on road crime were found to have faults.

Operation Mermaid was launched to catch drivers using unroadworthy vehicles, exceeding driving hours and driving while banned.

In East Lancashire, police stopped heavy goods vehicles on the A59 at Samlesbury, a major route to and from the M6.

A total of 213 lorries were stopped with 139 found to have defects.

Police gave 25 drivers time to fix the faults but 23 were ordered off the road immediately.

The operation ran throughout the country in conjunction with Customs and Excise, the Vehicle Inspectorate and Trading Standards.

Police are hailing the scheme a success.

Lancashire's accident prevention officer, Inspector Peter Stas, said: "From a road safety point of view, it is important for operators to fulfil their obligations in ensuring vehicles are legal and roadworthy.

"The sheer weight and size of a lorry can considerably increase the seriousness of an accident when they become involved."

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