POLICE in Stockton have taken part in a national campaign targeting goods vehicles.

Operation Mermaid took place on the A19 southbound at Portrack, in Stockton, between 6pm and 10pm on July 6 and was run in partnership with VOSA, HM Revenue and Customs, the Environment Agency and the DVLA.

Vehicles were checked for any road traffic or criminal offence such as defects and to ensure they were not stolen.

A total of 24 vehicles were stopped, which were a mixture of light vans to articulated goods vehicles.

Six prohibitions and fixed penalties were ordered by VOSA in relation to defects which needed to be repaired.

The Environment Agency are to carry out a number of enquiries and police gave advice to three drivers for minor offences.

Acting Inspector Gary Hatton, of the Road Policing Unit, said: "We will continue to carry out these operations to ensure our roads are being used by legal vehicles.

"Operation Mermaid has two aims. Firstly, it is about enforcement and the results show that 37.5 per cent of the vehicles stopped warranted action by the agencies involved.

"The second aim is to gather intelligence on rogue vehicles being used for unlawful purposes including terrorism and organised crime. By talking to drivers and gathering intelligence, we hope to disrupt and deter such activities in Cleveland."