Police in Wiltshire have condemned the actions of a lorry driver after he was pulled over and found to be under the influence of drugs and driving without an MOT.
The HGV was flagged down last month by officers on the A36 near Salisbury when it was suspected of being driven illegally.
It was believed to have no MOT and had been registered as off the road.
However, as officers looked into the cab to speak to the driver they smelt cannabis and so the male driver was tested with a drug wipe at the scene, which indicated a positive result.
Wiltshire police said a 53-year-old man from Chard in Somerset was arrested on suspicion of drug driving and taken into custody at Melksham. He has now been released under investigation.
Inspector John Hutchings welcomed the action by his officers and said: “As soon as they were alerted to this suspected illegal vehicle it was stopped and the driver spoken to; suspicion of drug use was evident, which the roadside preliminary drug wipe confirmed. “Driving a vehicle without an MOT is not only illegal but, could be dangerous as faults may be present that could lead to a collision.
“However, coupled with drug driving this is a recipe for a serious collision where people could be at the very least hurt or possibly even killed.”
