Police officers have taken a dangerous vehicle off the road after discovering it had more warning lights illuminated on its dashboard than the famous Blackpool Illuminations.
A disaster waiting to happen
Staffordshire Police officers initially pulled over the van in the Stoke area because it appeared to be looking 'a little tired'. What they discovered upon inspection, however, was far more concerning than simple wear and tear.
The vehicle was immediately declared a 'disaster waiting to happen' after officers found a number of serious and critical faults that made it unsafe to be on public roads.
Serious faults discovered
A thorough check of the van revealed multiple severe issues. Police confirmed the presence of serious faults with both the brakes and the steering system.
Most alarmingly, the vehicle was found to have no handbrake at all, creating a significant safety risk both while parked and in motion. The array of illuminated warning lights on the dashboard highlighted the extent of the vehicle's mechanical problems.
Driver reported and van secured
As a result of the inspection, the driver was formally reported for the offences. To ensure the defective vehicle could not be driven away and pose a danger to other road users, police took the immediate step of cabling the van to immobilise it.
The stop was conducted by the Staffordshire Roads Policing Unit, which shared details of the incident on X (formerly Twitter) on November 15, using the famous Blackpool Illuminations comparison to illustrate the concerning state of the vehicle's dashboard warning system.
