Driver is fined £800 after police spotted truck precariously piled with three skips trundling along the M4

 A hapless motorist was fined by police after dangerously stacking three skips on top of each other before driving on a motorway.

Terrified road users reported spotting a vehicle with what they believed to be a 'very insecure load' driving on the M4 near Chippenham, Wiltshire.

Stacked precariously one on top of the other, swaying from side to side, the industrial containers could have toppled off the back of the lorry and squashed passing cars, killing the people inside instantly.

Horrified officers with Wiltshire Police said the load was secured with flimsy straps that were torn under the strain of the weight.

Traffic cops caught up with the ‘dangerously loaded’ truck at LeighDelamere services, near Chippenham.

The 52-year-old driver got an on-the-spot fine of £880 for having a dangerous load, no MOT and no driver’s smart card.

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Terrified road users reported spotting a vehicle with what they believed to be a 'very insecure load' of three precariously balanced skips driving on the M4 near Chippenham, Wiltshire 

Another motorist called the police after seeing the lorry and its death load travelling between Junctions 18 and 17, near Bath.

Officers were dispatched in search of the lorry and it was soon located it at Leigh Delamere Services, near Chippenham in Wiltshire on Saturday, December 18.

Three large skips could be seen piled on top of each other and were hanging off the back, appearing to look out of place on the vehicle.

On inspection, it was found to have torn straps, the wrong type of hooks, and the body of the skips were rusted around the hooks as well.

Police seized the truck to prevent it travelling any further and causing a tragedy. 

The Driver and Vehicles Standards Agency concluded that there were a wide range of offences committed by the motorist.

These included the driver having no MOT, no driver's card, and the condition of the load was deemed to be dangerous.

The driver, a 52-year-old man, was handed £880 in fines, given a notice telling him to have the tacho calibrated and the vehicle was seized.

Sergeant Will Ayres, roads policing sergeant at Wiltshire Police, said: 'Thanks to this eagle-eyed member of the public we were able to quickly locate the vehicle and the driver and carry out the necessary checks.

'It is clear that this situation posed a real risk to other road users and we are just grateful that we were able to intervene before serious harm was caused.

'Anyone who drives these types of vehicles has a duty to ensure their load is road-worthy and there are strict rules they need to be following to ensure they are operating in a safe way.'