That's nuts! Van caught doing 70mph on M1 in Northamptonshire... with a wobbly wheel

Driver gets to park it and walk after police safety clampdown
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Shocked traffic cops moved quickly to get this Ford Transit off the road after finding it doing 70mph on the M1 with half its wheel nuts missing.

Three out six nuts keeping the wheel bolted safely onto the chassis were absent — and the tyre was half-flat, too.

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One officer said he was "absolutely horrified" at the discovery. The driver has been reported for all the offences and the vehicle was prohibited from travelling any further.

Police spotted this van on the M1 with a wheel held on by only three nuts instead of six.Police spotted this van on the M1 with a wheel held on by only three nuts instead of six.
Police spotted this van on the M1 with a wheel held on by only three nuts instead of six.

The discovery was made during the latest attempts to curb dodgy driving as part of Operation Tramline, run in partnership with Highways England, aimed at improving safety on the UK's strategic road network.

Police forces get the use of three plain white HGV tractor units with elevated cabs which allows officers to capture unsafe driving on video.

The top three offences detected through Operation Tramline are drivers not in proper control of their vehicles, seat belt offences and using mobile devices behind the wheel.

In one crackdown last October, Police pulled up 24 drivers in the space of a few hours on the county motorways and main roads — including 12 HGV drivers not wearing seatbelts and two using a mobile.