Unchilled poultry found in overloaded van on A27

An overweight van carrying unchilled frozen poultry was stopped by police running vehicle checks on the A27 last week.
Sussex PoliceSussex Police
Sussex Police

The checks, which were carried out on the A27 at Beddingham, near Lewes, on Thursday (April 13), saw several drivers penalised over the state of their vehicles and driving documentation, with some having their vehicles seized.

PC Barry Freeman, of the Sussex roads policing unit at Polegate, said: “The worst two offenders during several hours of checks at the Beddingham weighbridge were a 3.5 tonne Luton van, found to be 55 per cent overweight and transporting frozen poultry in a non-refrigerated vehicle, details of which were passed to trading standards, and a 26-tonne grab lorry with broken rear springs, loose u-bolts and a dangerous load.

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“This should be a reminder to all drivers that it is their responsibility to ensure that their vehicles are roadworthy, and that both they and their vehicles are properly documented at all times.”

Sussex Police says it issued five fixed penalty notices for vehicles found to have no MoT and one for a vehicle with a defective tyre. Six other vehicles were seized after being found to be without road tax while another driver found without insurance had to buy cover on the spot.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, which also took part in the checks, issued six immediate prohibition orders against drivers using defective vehicles, five delayed prohibitions, two fixed penalty notices and one immobilisation for a driver exceeding his hours at the wheel.