A major police operation to check the road-worthiness of agricultural vehicles found that the vast majority had defects.
Operation Agrarian, by Hertfordshire police, was carried out on Wednesday (August 22) in East Herts over two days.
Vehicles inspected included tractors, trailers, and trailed appliances. Of the 19 vehicles, only two did not have any defects noted.
The operation followed recent incidents involving agricultural vehicles which have resulted in significant disruption to the road network, as well as presenting a danger to the operators and other road users.
“At this time of year we see a big increase in the volume of agricultural vehicles on the road network,” explained Rural Sergeant, Duncan Wallace.
“Once the harvest is under way, crops often need to be moved quickly into storage and large loads are a common sight on country lanes.
“Unfortunately, this year we have had one incident involving an overturned tractor and trailer combination, which caused severe disruption to road users at the time.
Mr Wallace added: “The public would expect us to ensure agricultural vehicles used on the roads conform to current legislation and regulations, as any other class of vehicle, so that other road users are not being put at unnecessary risk.”
'Fit for 21st century'
19 vehicles were stopped across the two days of proactive monitoring within the district. This figure was influenced by inclement weather prevailing on both days, but was sufficient to provide a clear picture of the current situation.
Two vehicles had defects which resulted in them being escorted off the carriageway into a nearby field to await the immediate services of an agricultural engineer.
Mr Wallace added: “Our work is not intended to impose further pressure upon the industry at such a busy time of year but is aimed at working with them and educating those employed to ensure agriculture is an industry fit for the twenty-first century.
“The operation also gave us a chance to speak to drivers and operators to offer advice and assistance to improve public safety and their working environment.”
