Manx winter checks reveal more than half of vehicles 'defective'

Pre-winter roadside inspections are being carried out at locations around the island

More than half of the vehicles stopped by Manx police during a winter checks campaign were found to have at least one defect, a government minister said.

Home Affairs Minister Bill Malarkey told the House of Keys that 58 of the 107 drivers stopped in three sessions were issued with Vehicle Defect Rectification Scheme (VDRS) notices.

He said one vehicle had been seized.

In 2018, 122 of the 220 vehicles stopped were defective, a number police said was "ridiculously high".

The annual roadside checks, which continue through the winter months, are carried out by police officers in conjunction with the Department of Infrastructure.

In the House of Keys, Ralph Peake MHK said the campaign was "a good way of raising the profile of having safer vehicles on the road" during the winter, but added that the government needed to "take a more proactive stance" at all times.

Mr Malarkey said any further action would "depend on the final results of the campaign".

VDRS notices allow drivers to have minor defects fixed within seven days without facing further action.

Privately-owned Manx-registered vehicles that are more than three years old are not subject to an annual roadworthiness check, such as the UK's MOT test.

However, vehicles imported to the island that are more than three years old are subject to a one-off examination at the Manx vehicle test centre.