Drivers have been fined hundreds of pounds this week after police operations at Frankley and Strensham Services. 

Overloaded vans, untaxed cars, vehicles with illegal tints and unroadworthy vehicles were all stopped by officers as part of two days of action on Wednesday, January 24 and Thursday, January 25. 

West Mercia Police from the Operational Patrol Unit were joined by officers from the Safer Neighbourhood Teams at Frankley Services on the M5 in North Worcestershire and Strensham Services on the M5 in South Worcestershire. 

Bromsgrove Advertiser: It was part of a two day operation It was part of a two day operation (Image: West Mercia Police)

Response cars pulled over motorists whose vehicles were checked over for their roadworthiness, weight limits, valid MOT and insurance certificates, displaying number plates incorrectly or having tinted windows.

At Frankley, officers pulled in a flatbed truck that was half a tonne overweight with palettes that were stacked too high over the bulkhead and loosely secured with harnesses in the wrong position. 

The driver was fined £300. 

A low loader carrying a car was also stopped and found to be overweight by half a tonne with the cabin having tinted windows.

The driver was fined £200 for the weight limit offence and volunteered to remove the tints. The car it was carrying was then taxed before it could be driven away.

A car driver who had all the front windows tinted too dark was fined £50.

At Strensham services, officers pulled over six overweight vehicles with the highest being 16.5 per cent over its payload.

Bromsgrove Advertiser: Police issued multiple fines Police issued multiple fines (Image: West Mercia Police)

Seven vehicles were prohibited for either weight or defects, one driver was given a ticket for being on his mobile phone and three motorists were stopped and given £50 tickets for having illegally tinted windows and another for a defective tyre.

Sergeant David Clark of the Operational Patrol Unit said: “We conducted this operation because as a force we want to ensure that the roads networks are safe and to reduce fatalities from the fatal four of speeding, drink and drug driving, driving while distracted and the non-wearing of seatbelts.

“We targeted vehicles that were of interest to us, making sure they were in a roadworthy condition and insured for the safety of all road users. It was a positive operation as we’ve had weight offences on vehicles, illegally tinted front windows, drivers using mobiles, defective vehicles, and bald tyres.

“Our advice to road users is to make sure you are insured, and your vehicle is in a roadworthy condition for everyone’s sake. Please also make sure your tyres are properly inflated by checking once a week and make sure you have wash wipe with the correct anti-freeze solution in them at this time of year.”