Police warn about the dangers of 'insecure loads' on Lincolnshire's roads

Police captured this image of hay bales dangerously hanging off a trailer as it approached the A1 in the west of the county.

The force said they have seen ‘several serious accidents’ across the county this year with vehicles carrying loads which have not been strapped down securely.

Cases caught by police in time to prevent a potential accident, include a man with a sofa on the roof of his vehicle, another with a plank of wood hanging out his boot, and several agricultural trailers carrying insecure loads of hay bales.

Inspector Marc Gee said: “We regularly see vehicles on the roads in Lincolnshire that are laden with all kinds of loads, from hay bales and livestock though to scrap metal and heavy machinery.

A vehicle/trailer with an insecure load stopped by police on one of Lincolnshire’s main routes, the A17, back in March.

"It is imperative drivers ensure that before travelling on the road, they check that they have used the correct strappings to secure their load effectively adhering to official guidelines and regulations, which they should be fully aware of if they are driving as part of their work.

“Our Specialist Officers in Lincolnshire’s Road Policing Unit are trained in regulations around carrying safe loads and will stop vehicles that they believe are not complying with the guidelines.

"This year we have seen serious accidents involving insecure loads so our officers are being as pro-active as possible to reduce the risk to all road users by tackling the issue head on with those that flout the law.”

Last month, police tweeted several images of vehicles they had stopped with dangerous loads.

Lincolnshire Police stopped this farm vehicle on the A17 near Sutterton on June 13, stating there was "not a single strap on the trailer."

One of these – a tractor and trailer stopped on the A16 near Sutterton – was found to be carrying huge hay bales weighing around half a ton each. “Not a single strap on the trailer,” commented police, before quipping “Make sure your not too HAYsty to leave the yard.”

In June, the Road Policing Unit also stopped a lorry carrying bales as it approached the A1 motorway with a section of its load dangerously hanging to one side. “RPU officers came across this lorry on the A1 slip,” they tweeted. “Luckily it never made it onto the A1 otherwise this could have been a lot worse.”

There was a similar incident In May when the RPU stopped a tractor and trailer near Sleaford, stating “Officers stopped this accident waiting to happen off of the A153.”

Earlier this year police were called after a tractor spilt its load of hay in a busy residential street in Gainsborough. Police said it was fortunate no-one was injured.

A JCB clears hay bales which fell from a tractor's trailer onto a road and pavement in Gainsborough earlier this year. Image: Lincolnshire Police.

Officers have also stopped members of the public carrying dangerous loads in trailers and cars.

In April, a Boston man was fined after being found driving with a sofa on his vehicle’s roof with nothing to secure it. In June another Boston man found himself in court for driving offences, including a ‘plank of wood sticking out the boot that had not been secured correctly’.

Inspector Gee added: "Drivers face fines and possibly penalty points on their licence if they are found committing offences, and should they cause a collision and injury then they could face a day in court.

"Our officers will continue to try and get the message across to everyone and by using social media images they will try and engage and educate people to stop these offences occurring.”