Operation Mermaid

Hundreds of dangerous and poorly-driven lorries have been taken off the roads of Essex during an ongoing intensive road safety operation.
The operation known as Operation Mermaid is a national policing initiative launched to raise driving standards and ensure that vehicles are mechanically safe.
Regular stop checks are carried out on main highways through Essex including the M25, M11, A12, A13 and the A120.

Essex road policing officers who are specially trained to check commercial vehicles also work closely with examiners from VOSA (the Vehicle Operator Services Agency) and staff from HM Customs who check loads and drivers for any revenue irregularities.

Figures for the first six months of this year show that despite strict legislation and constant roadside checks by police many drivers, both British and foreign, are still flouting the law and putting other motorists’ lives in danger.

Of more than 1,900 commercial vehicles stopped and checked in Essex since January 2010, 907 had mechanical defects of which 497 were so serious the lorries were prohibited from continuing their journeys until they were repaired.

A total of 10,991 driver’s hours offences were discovered and in 112 of the more serious cases drivers were prohibited from going further until they completed enforced rest breaks.
A further 63 lorries were seized after it was found their drivers either had no insurance or did not have valid driving licences. Officers also discovered 302 other offences such as excessive weight or dangerous loads.

Changes in legislation which came into force in 2009 also meant that police officers can immediately immobilise an offending vehicle and can issue fixed penalty notices or take deposits from the driver. Since January 2010 a total of £99,430 in FPNs and deposits has been collected by Essex officers.