COACHES and minibuses which carry children to school have been checked by police in Hartlepool - with seven vehicles slapped with prohibition notices.
Nine vehicles were stopped in total, out of which four were given notices for insecure batteries, and three for defective steering, defective tyres, fuel leaks, excessive corrosion and defective brakes.
Officers carried out the safty checks on Thursday, March 7, after youngsters had left the vehicles and gone into school. The operation, known as Operation Coachman, is a national initiative involving police forces from all over the country with the assistance of the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA). Cleveland Police officers carried it out in the town, and across the force area.
Temporary Sergeant Sam Turner said: “Parents are putting their children in the hands of bus companies believing that they are in safe hands. These checks are designed to make sure that this is the case.”
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