POLICE found serious defects in several vehicles and issued immediate prohibition notices during a road safety operation near York.

North Yorkshire Police said the pre-planned operation in the Huntington area, which also involved the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency and City of York Council, targeted waste carriers, scrap collectors and vehicles towing trailers.

"We checked driver and vehicle documentation and looked for vehicle defects, while City of York Council concentrated on waste carriers, scrap collectors’ licences and transfer notes," said a spokesperson.

"The National Trailer & Towing Association assisted with trailer safety checks and examinations which helped to identify potentially dangerous defects with trailers and poor levels of maintenance.

"As result of this operation, we and our partner agencies were able to deal with a large number of offences. This included:

*Three vehicles were issued with immediate prohibitions for serious defects.

*Four trailers were issued with immediate prohibitions for serious defects.

*Two trailers were issued with delayed prohibitions for defects.

*One vehicle was seized for having no insurance.

*Two were prosecuted for unsuitable use of vehicle.

*One for an expired M.O.T.

*One vehicle was overweight by 41%

*One load was found to likely cause danger or injury

"This type of operation can pop up any time and any place in our area, and aims to set clear parameters between what is, and what isn’t acceptable on our roads, and it’s all part of our ongoing commitment to make sure our roads are safe for everyone who uses them."