A HIGH percentage of heavy goods vehicles are unfit to be on Cheshire's roads.

A police operation found 61 per cent of vehicles checked on the M56 earlier this month were defective.

Chief Inspector Peter Madeley, who oversaw Operation Mermaid in Cheshire, said: "The defects on the vehicles can contribute towards the number of collisions we see each year on Cheshire's road network.

"Any action which takes such vehicles off the roads should be applauded and Operation Mermaid has achieved that with a high degree of success."

In February, 964 vehicles were stopped across 30 forces, with 413 found to be committing offences which ranged from mechanical defects to drivers exceeding their prescribed hours.

Of those vehicles checked, 37 were served with immediate prohibitions, 49 were found to have faulty brakes and 28 had faulty lights.

Some 21 drivers were arrested for offences ranging from disqualified driving to driving while under the influence of drink or drugs.