A NUMBER of showmen attending this year's Salisbury Pleasure Fair will not be allowed to drive their vehicles away until they can prove they have had mechanical faults put right.

Police, who checked a sample of 20 vehicles on Sunday, discovered 17 had defects, 11 of which were so serious they were deemed a danger to other road users.

The checks were carried out with the Vehicle Inspectorate and this is the first year showmen's vehicles, which are not subject to MoT testing, have been part of such an operation.

The vehicles were escorted to the Market Square and their operators given the duration of the fair to get the faults mended.

Insp John Boland, head of Salisbury Police's traffic department, stressed that the fairground rides were not part of Sunday's checks.