ROADSIDE checks on vehicles are being carried out in the county.

Durham Police are staging a two-week safety campaign to make motorists more aware of the need to maintain cars, vans and motorcycles.

At a series of roadside checks this month police will be looking for worn tyres, faulty exhausts, defective handbrakes and broken lights.

Notices will be issued warning the owners of poorly-maintained vehicles to carry out repairs or risk an on-the-spot £60 fine and three penalty points.

In more serious cases a court summons may be issued.

All 130 traffic officers will be involved in the checks.

The police are determined owners should do everything possible to avoid putting themselves, other road-users or pedestrians at risk.

Head of traffic Insp Wilf Lavery said: "The message is simple, safe vehicles save lives. Officers will be looking for obvious defects. But many of the faults we come across are the sort of things drivers should be checking on a regular basis."

Owners who are given a defect notice must take their vehicles to an MoT-approved garage to have the problem corrected.

The form must be stamped by the garage and the police notified within 14 days.