M25 crackdown targets vehicle-related crime
BBCPolice forces and other agencies have targeted vehicle crime with a series of stops on the M25.
Surrey Police and Kent Police stopped vehicles at Clacket Lane service station, checking for instances of rogue trading, road safety concerns and other vehicle-enabled crime.
Other organisations including the Environment Agency, motoring agencies and trading standards also took part in the day of action on Tuesday, known as Operation Replicate.
Assistant Chief Constable Peter Gardner of Surrey Police said the work targeted "all forms of criminality using the transport network".
He told the BBC that officers had located a stolen vehicle and "quite a lot of overweight vehicles" had been among the stops.
Colin Evans, a road safety programme manager at National Highways, said it was "really important to get these high-risk vehicles off our network".
"We've had a few flatbeds come in with unsecured loads in the back," he said. "We make sure everything is covered, strapped down or inside the vehicle before they're allowed to leave."
He said that spilled loads came with a risk of items being struck and "someone has to get out and actually pick it up, so it's not a safe environment to be in".
"It does happen and sometimes with really awful circumstances and outcomes," Evans said.
Surrey Police and Crime Commissioner Lisa Townsend said the operation did "require an awful lot of resource" but it was "great if we can get out and keep doing these".
"Surrey's done quite a number of them, actually, this is the first one we've done jointly with Kent," she said.
Kent Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Scott said the operation was "keeping our public safe and making sure that our roads are safe for everybody".
"This isn't just some money-making exercise for policing," he told the BBC.
"This is dangerous people doing dangerous things and we want to keep our roads safe."
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