Police hunt for dangerous 'end of life vehicles'

Officers from the Thames Valley and Hampshire were monitoring the A34 dual carriageway

Police officers trying to crack down on exports of "end of life vehicles" have warned the trade could come at a deadly cost.

A team has been targeting the A34, looking for trucks and vans that have reached the end of the road in the UK, but are in demand overseas.

Sgt Paul Diamond, from the joint Hampshire and Thames Valley roads policing team, said the trade first came to light about three years ago.

He said a pattern began to emerge of abandoned lorries, broken down vehicles and "preventable fires".

One on the M4 even disrupted the funeral of Queen Elizabeth as she was taken to be buried at Windsor.

Sgt Diamond said vehicles being exported could be driven down to Southampton without having the commercial equivalent of an MOT or meeting safety standards.

"They've got tyres that are 20 years old," he said.

"They can have been sitting in a field for 10. The chassis is corroded, the brakes might not work."

Last year one such lorry being exported to Africa crashed through two cars parked in a lay-by, ending up on its side in a field.

A quick check on this van and the driver was cleared to continue delivering it to a new owner in the UK

Sgt Diamond said the poor state of the lorries could be made even more dangerous by being overladen, describing them as "like something from the horror film, Final Destination".

He said timing their checks was difficult, and involved scrutinising arrivals and departures of ships from Southampton that might be used by the exporters.

Nobody wants to pay to store a vehicle, with all the costs that involves, as they wait for the next possible sailing.

"It is frightening," said Sgt Diamond.

"But that is why we are out here, so we don't have to knock on somebody's door later today and explain to them why their loved one isn't coming home."