Eighteen lorries stopped for checks on the M1 were found to have a vehicle defect or the driver was committing an offence.

Northamptonshire Police, the Vehicle Operators Services Agency and Revenue and Customs officials stopped 27 vehicles on the M1 at Crick last week.

Drivers' hours, load weight and mechanical condition were checked.

Insp Nigel Rickaby said: "We will continue to run these operations to make roads safer and cut casualties."

Four vehicles were taken off the road with mechanical defects, four were over the allowed weight, three drivers were working over their allowed hours and one vehicle was identified as unroadworthy.

Four people were arrested, two for drugs offences, one was wanted by another police force and another was an illegal immigrant.

Source BBC News