Lorry driver banned after being spotted driving on hard shoulder

Highways Agency traffic officers from Sprotbrough outstation, Tony Coleman and Patricia Sayner, were travelling along the M18 motorway on November 30 last year when they noticed a large goods vehicle travelling at between 25 and 30mph on a narrow hard shoulder.

A spokesman for the Highways Agency said that the vehicle continued for five miles, and when travelling along the A1(M) at junction 36, crossed the mouth of two busy slip roads, across the hatch markings, without changing speed.

The spokesman added: “Concerned for the safety of fellow drivers, the officers followed the vehicle and tried to get the driver to stop.

“They also notified the Highways Agency region control centre in Wakefield, which monitored the incident on CCTV cameras and notified South Yorkshire Police.

“Police officers attended the scene and, due to the severity of the incident, the driver of the vehicle, Stephen John Wearmouth from Cleveland, was reported for dangerous driving.”

At Doncaster Magistrates’ Court last week, Wearmouth pleaded guilty to dangerous driving.

The 48-year-old was handed a 15-month driving ban, a £200 fine, 100 hours of unpaid community work, and a £60 victims surcharge by magistrates.

John McTaggart, the Highways Agency’s head of on-road patrol for the northern area, said: “We patrol the motorways to keep the region’s drivers safe.

“If your vehicle develops a problem you should always pull into the nearest service area or leave at the next exit.

“The hard shoulder should only be used in an emergency or when you are directed to use it by overhead signs, the police or the Highways Agency.

“The figures show that the risk of a fatal or serious accident to an occupant of a vehicle parked on the hard shoulder is about three times that of driving along the motorway.”

Some hard shoulders have been opened up to traffic, to relieve congestion on the country’s motorways.

However, usually it is only permissible to use them in an emergency, or if ordered to pull over by the police.