Caravan checks uncover catalogue of safety faults

Nearly 70 per cent of holiday caravans examined in spot checks by police at the weekend had safety faults.

It was the second successive week that police in the West Country have found that a huge percentage of caravans fell short of basic safety standards.

The previous week's 90 per cent failure rate in roadside checks was described as "absolutely diabolical" by a road safety officer, Sergeant Dave England. The "horrifying" figures showed that some kind of safety certificate for caravans was required immediately, he said.

Dozens of caravans were checked at a motorway service station outside Exeter on Saturday. Police uncovered a catalogue of faulty tyres and incorrect loading which could affect steering. "People think they can just hook up a caravan and drive away," a police spokesman said.

Officers handed out advice to owners whose caravans did not come up to scratch, and warned them that in future there could be prosecutions.