Transport and Logistics Network
An innocent man who spent 17 years behind bars for a rape he did not commit has left the UK for a new life abroad. Andrew Malkinson had his conviction quashed earlier this week after always maintaining his innocence.
He has now left the country and has…
An innocent man who spent 17 years behind bars for a rape he didn’t commit has said he was ‘kidnapped by the state’ after appeal court judges quashed his conviction.
Andrew Malkinson, 57, always denied carrying out the violent attack on a woman by the …
Lancashire Police took part in a week of action codenamed Operation Vertebrae which aimed to tackle commercial vehicle crime on the motorway network.
Officers pulled commercial vehicles off the motorway network to check for illegal loads, vehicle defects or anything else that could put other road users in danger.
Four days were spent at Cuerden where the M65, M61 and M6 meet, and one day focussed on traffic leaving the port at Heysham.
£16k in fines were issued during a busy week for Lancashire Police on the county’s roads (Google)
In one incident, officers stopped a 44-tonne lorry that was being driven by someone high on cocaine.
Police also stopped a lorry that was pulling an illegally wide load of solid concrete, as well as a flatbed truck that was metal poles that had nothing holding them down.
Other stops included:
– A HGV which was carrying 11 tonnes more than it was legally allowed
– A van with no MOT, bald tyres and a host of other mechanical issues
– A tipper truck carrying a pile of cement which was too heavy for the vehicle
– A Sprinter van brought in with obvious mechanical defects including a completely collapsed front suspension. In the back of the van was a large amount of unlicensed scrap precious metal. Police said there were also “immigration offences in relation to the driver.”
Round-up of four recent cases heard at Blackpool Magistrates’ Court in July
Chief Insp Matt Willmot, of Lancashire Police’s TacOps team, said: “You may have seen us out and about, carrying out a week of surge activity to tackle commercial vehicle crime.
“Commercial vehicles make up a large percentage of traffic on our roads and it is important they comply with all laws and regulations – not least because large, heavy vehicles which aren’t following legal requirements can pose a very real danger to others. For example, an overloaded vehicle has a drastically increased braking distance, putting the driver and other motorists in danger.
“The examples we’ve given are just a small selection of the issues we’ve dealt with, but we hope they demonstrate the importance of everybody complying with the law to keep our roads safe.
Officers were supported by partner agencies including HMRC, Border Force, the Home Office immigration team, the Environment Agency and more.
354 vehicles were brought into the check sites and of those, 204 were issued with fixed penalty notices or prohibition orders by Lancashire Police.
A further 12 HGVs and 31 LGVs were handed a prohibition order by the Driver Vehicle Standards Agency.
Two HGV drivers also tested positive for drugs and of the ‘abnormal loads’ brought in, every single one was found to be non-compliant to one degree or another.
Fines totalling £16k were issued, which will go to the courts and tribunals service.
“We also hope they send a message that we, and partner agencies, will not stand for dangerous vehicles or dangerous driving on Lancashire’s roads, and we will deal robustly and proportionately with those who put other motorists in danger,” Chief Insp Willmot added.
“Our thanks go to the partner agencies who have supported the operation.”
The carriageway was closed between 7am and 7pm on Sunday after a tanker ploughed through the central reservation of the motorway while travelling northbound this morning. It then crashed through into the southbound carriageway before overturning between junctions 31 and 32. As much as 20,000 litres of milk was spilt onto the motorway.
The male driver and his female passenger were injured and have been taken to hospital, Lancashire Police[1] said. Their condition remains unknown.
After the M6 northbound reopened just after 5pm, the southbound side and M55[2] followed at 7pm – some lane closures aside.
The overturned lorry that has caused the closure of the M6 near Preston on Sunday
M6 diversions: Routes motorists are advised to take with motorway closed around …
A spokesman for Lancashire Police said: “Traffic[4] is expected to be slow moving and congested for some time so please avoid the area where possible.”
The accident impacted on traffic the M6, M55 eastbound and M61 northbound.
By 12.30pm, the milk tanker had been righted and removed from the central reservation barrier but clear-up works were urgently needed after both milk and diesel spilled into the carriageway.
Four fire engines from Preston[5], Bamber Bridge and Chorley and the USAR team from South Shore, were mobilised to assist with the Environment Agency[6] among other agencies on the scene.
(National Highways)
Severe delays were caused on a major motorway[1] after a tanker overturned, spilling its load of milk over the carriageway.
The male driver and a female passenger were taken to hospital for treatment following the accident on th…