LORRY drivers and operators in Wyre Forest are being warned to keep their vehicles in tip-top condition or face stringent penalties after officers of the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency were given the "powers to stop".

West Mercia Constabulary is the first police force in the country to have accredited VOSA agents with the authority to pull lorries over for roadside checks and area manager, Caroline Hicks, said they intended to make the most of their new found freedom.

She explained that whereas her agency was used to the availability of police officers to undertake blanket roadside checks, they were now using hi-tech equipment, such as Automatic Number Plate Recognition, to target lorries likely to be in breach of road safety regulations.

"When we just had one or two big checks a week we used to get the police to pull everything in but now we will run more frequent checks - targeting the bad guys instead of the good guys," she said.

"It's a huge step forward for us and it makes our work so much more effective. If we want to go and do something we can do so without ringing the police to see if they've got someone free."

The VOSA vehicles display luminous signs, which can be programmed to ask lorry drivers to follow them and pull over and officers can stop vehicles in transit or at roadside check points.

Vehicle examiners then check the condition of the vehicle, while traffic examiners check legal points, such as drivers' hours, from tachographs, operators' licences and driving licences.

After following a lorry which did not have its operator's licence on display, vehicle examiner, Glyn Smith - one of two officers with the power to stop - said: "It's a bit of a cat and mouse game anticipating what move they're going to make. You've got to be thinking on your feet all the time as well as watching how you drive.

"You've got to look at what junctions they're likely to turn off at and have good local knowledge."

He added: "We're not in the game of chasing people and breaking the speed limit because we are all about road safety so, if we miss one, we'll catch up with it another day.

"If we've got the registration plate we can find out where the vehicle is based."

Drivers and operators in breach of the requirements risk having their vehicle being banned from the road until improvements are made or they could be fined.