Nearly one in five trucks weighed in an Oxfordshire check last week were overweight, and more than one in four had mechanical defects. The check in Chipping Norton was organised by Oxfordshire County Council's trading standards team together with Thames Valley police and Vosa.
Of 25 trucks weighed, four were overweight, two so badly that they were prohibited from continuing while two other drivers were given warnings.
Of the 34 trucks
given mechanical checks 26% had some kind of fault, including faulty brake lights or no brake light, a loose front bumper, a defective trailer and one tachograph offence.
The Council also took the opportunity to try and persuade drivers to avoid Chipping Norton town centre if they could: 14 drivers were given route maps.
Oxford County Council's cabinet member for community safety, Judith Heathcoat, says: "It is vital that drivers and hauliers get the message that they are responsible for ensuring their vehicle is roadworthy and not overloaded.
"We hope the operation has also persuaded HGV drivers to consider the possibility of using alternative routes which avoid the centre of Chipping Norton."
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