M4 driver fined almost £1k after being caught out by police

A van driver has been fined close to a thousand pounds after being caught out by police officers on the M4 in Wiltshire.

Wiltshire Police's road policing unit was out patrolling the M4 on Friday, December 5, when officers spotted multiple vehicles they believed to be over the legal weight limit.

One white van, which was followed by police and pulled over just off the M4, was found to weigh in at 4.6 tonnes. Advertisement Advertisement

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The legal limit on UK motorways is 3.5 tonnes.

The extra weight has left this driver with a GBP900 bill (Image: Wiltshire Police)

The driver of the van has now been fined GBP900 for the extra weight, according to road policing officers.

A second overweight vehicle, a blue transporter, has also been pulled over by the policing unit. It was found to weigh 0.9 tonnes above the legal limit, and the driver has been fined GBP600.

Wiltshire Police is cracking down on overweight vehicles (Image: Wiltshire Police)

Recommended reading:

Man charged after dangerous M4 incident sparked panicked calls to policePolice dog in motorway chase to track down M4 crash driver who 'did a runner'Motorway car fire 'spreads into hedgerow' as firefighters tackle blaze[1][2][3]

"They won't be going anywhere until the excess weight is removed," said a spokesperson for Wiltshire Police's road policing unit.

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Drivers have been reminded that a van's maximum weight includes the weight of the van, driver, passengers, fuel and load combined.

Vehicles found to be over their legal weight limit could see the driver fined or summoned to court.

References

  1. ^ Man charged after dangerous M4 incident sparked panicked calls to police (www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk)
  2. ^ Police dog in motorway chase to track down M4 crash driver who 'did a runner' (www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk)
  3. ^ Motorway car fire 'spreads into hedgerow' as firefighters tackle blaze (www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk)