0:00:02 > 0:00:04The A1 - Britain's longest road.
0:00:05 > 0:00:09Stretching almost 400 miles from the City of London
0:00:09 > 0:00:11to the heart of the Scottish capital.
0:00:13 > 0:00:17Connecting two nations and passing through 18 counties.
0:00:17 > 0:00:18It's an unrivalled highway
0:00:18 > 0:00:21used by hundreds of thousands of vehicles every day.
0:00:21 > 0:00:25We're going southbound down the A1 on the northbound carriageway.
0:00:27 > 0:00:29But not all journeys go to plan.
0:00:29 > 0:00:31TYRES SCREECH
0:00:32 > 0:00:35I thought, "I'm going to lose my life."
0:00:35 > 0:00:39Cars are coming close. It is the dangerous place to be.
0:00:39 > 0:00:41Lives can hang in the balance.
0:00:41 > 0:00:43The rear end of that vehicle, it's unrecognisable.
0:00:43 > 0:00:45This is actually the bodywork of the car.
0:00:48 > 0:00:4924 hours a day...
0:00:49 > 0:00:51It's not a safe place here.
0:00:51 > 0:00:53..there's a team of people who keep us safe from harm.
0:00:55 > 0:00:56The police...
0:00:58 > 0:00:59..response teams...
0:00:59 > 0:01:01We don't know if they've got the road closed,
0:01:01 > 0:01:02we don't know what happened.
0:01:02 > 0:01:04..and traffic officers...
0:01:05 > 0:01:07Keep going.
0:01:08 > 0:01:11..keeping Britain's most iconic road...
0:01:11 > 0:01:12- Get out!- ..on the move.
0:01:12 > 0:01:14CAR HORN BLARES
0:01:14 > 0:01:17Substantially damaged flatbed truck in lane two.
0:01:18 > 0:01:21The A1, the monster that it is, will start to return to normal.
0:01:25 > 0:01:27Coming up -
0:01:27 > 0:01:29the fight to cut a woman free from her car...
0:01:29 > 0:01:31Don't panic, darling.
0:01:31 > 0:01:33..without causing her further injury.
0:01:33 > 0:01:36Keep your head as still as possible.
0:01:36 > 0:01:39A motorist accused of drink-driving...
0:01:39 > 0:01:41Have you had any alcohol in the last 20 minutes?
0:01:41 > 0:01:43..is left high and dry...
0:01:43 > 0:01:48There's a high probability that his alcohol level is going up.
0:01:48 > 0:01:50..and a driver's loose load
0:01:50 > 0:01:53threatens to cause chaos on the carriageway.
0:01:53 > 0:01:55You've got boxes of tools, you've got bags of tools,
0:01:55 > 0:01:58It's going to cause serious injury there,
0:01:58 > 0:01:59it's going to cause a massive crash.
0:02:02 > 0:02:06Of the 10,000 incidents tackled by Highways England traffic officers
0:02:06 > 0:02:10on the A1 every year, one in five is an accident.
0:02:10 > 0:02:13One of the busiest parts of the road is a two-lane stretch
0:02:13 > 0:02:16between Doncaster and Ferrybridge.
0:02:21 > 0:02:24It's 7.40 on a Friday evening...
0:02:26 > 0:02:28..and Paul Day and Rob Larkin
0:02:28 > 0:02:31are responding to a call about an incident -
0:02:31 > 0:02:33but so far, they've few details to go on.
0:02:35 > 0:02:37The nature of the job is not known yet,
0:02:37 > 0:02:40but the cameras can see hazard lights,
0:02:40 > 0:02:42traffic's moving very slowly
0:02:42 > 0:02:44and indicating round an incident,
0:02:44 > 0:02:46so at the minute we're just going in blind, really.
0:02:47 > 0:02:52With very little information and no idea how serious the call is,
0:02:52 > 0:02:55Paul and Rob need to investigate quickly.
0:02:55 > 0:02:58It could be anything, this, from a medical emergency...
0:02:58 > 0:03:01- Could be just a flat tyre. - It could be just a flat tyre.
0:03:01 > 0:03:04It could be anything minor from something just broken down
0:03:04 > 0:03:06to somebody being run over, for instance.
0:03:08 > 0:03:09As they get closer,
0:03:09 > 0:03:13the build-up of traffic suggests there's a serious incident.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17This is now an emergency.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21Get out t'way.
0:03:21 > 0:03:25And more information comes through about what lies ahead...
0:03:25 > 0:03:27Three-vehicle RTC reported.
0:03:27 > 0:03:28Ambulance en route.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36Rob and Paul are the first emergency team to arrive.
0:03:36 > 0:03:38It's a three-car pile-up.
0:03:40 > 0:03:43A woman who was driving one of the cars
0:03:43 > 0:03:45has what could be a serious injury.
0:03:45 > 0:03:4926-year-old female, conscious and breathing, complaining of neck pain.
0:03:49 > 0:03:52I'm trying to keep her head very still.
0:03:54 > 0:03:56Paul's taking no chances
0:03:56 > 0:04:00and immediately immobilises the woman's neck.
0:04:02 > 0:04:06He must keep her as still as possible until the medics arrive.
0:04:06 > 0:04:08Still no pain? Not much pain?
0:04:08 > 0:04:09MUMBLED REPLY
0:04:09 > 0:04:11Say again?
0:04:11 > 0:04:13Still experiencing pain.
0:04:15 > 0:04:17I think there was a queue of vehicles
0:04:17 > 0:04:20in front of me which was slowing down.
0:04:20 > 0:04:24As I was slowing down I just heard a bang from the back of my car,
0:04:24 > 0:04:27and my wife just shouted,
0:04:27 > 0:04:30"Oh, we've been hit."
0:04:30 > 0:04:33Looked like there was a pile-up of vehicles behind me.
0:04:33 > 0:04:38Then I realised that the lady who was right behind me,
0:04:38 > 0:04:42she was in great pain and holding her neck.
0:04:42 > 0:04:45While Paul attends to the injured driver,
0:04:45 > 0:04:48Rob needs to protect everyone at the scene.
0:04:48 > 0:04:53It's now an agonising wait for other emergency services to arrive.
0:04:53 > 0:04:57I've got a lane two closure out, so the scene is protected.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00From first impression, it looks like somebody's slowed down
0:05:00 > 0:05:02and they've all bumped into each other.
0:05:02 > 0:05:06With a potential serious spinal injury on his hands,
0:05:06 > 0:05:09Paul knows it may be necessary to cut the lady out of the vehicle.
0:05:09 > 0:05:11The fire brigade are en route, so...
0:05:11 > 0:05:14If they're needed. Hopefully they won't be.
0:05:14 > 0:05:15They might put a collar on
0:05:15 > 0:05:19and then you might be a bit better to get out yourself, OK?
0:05:20 > 0:05:22For someone on the scene, though,
0:05:22 > 0:05:25this whole process is taking too long.
0:05:25 > 0:05:26Who's called a taxi?
0:05:26 > 0:05:30Incredibly, one of the passengers has rung for a cab,
0:05:30 > 0:05:33as she doesn't want to be late for work.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36Oh, my God. Call a taxi to a bloomin' accident scene.
0:05:38 > 0:05:40Thankfully, minutes later,
0:05:40 > 0:05:44the paramedics arrive and begin to urgently assess the injured woman.
0:05:44 > 0:05:48I want you to keep your head as still as you can, OK?
0:05:51 > 0:05:54First of all, the pain was in the middle of her neck.
0:05:54 > 0:05:55It's now moved,
0:05:55 > 0:05:58which is why I took the decision to immobilise her C spine.
0:05:58 > 0:06:02She's always been conscious and talking, but, yeah...
0:06:02 > 0:06:05It's looking a little bit more dramatic than it first seemed.
0:06:05 > 0:06:07With the fire service arriving,
0:06:07 > 0:06:11there are now a dozen emergency service personnel on the scene
0:06:11 > 0:06:15and a busy lane of Friday night traffic still thundering past.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18Do you want us to stop that traffic?
0:06:18 > 0:06:19Rob and Paul have got to close
0:06:19 > 0:06:22the whole of the northbound carriageway of the A1
0:06:22 > 0:06:25while the team gets to work.
0:06:27 > 0:06:29With the woman in considerable pain,
0:06:29 > 0:06:32they need to rescue her as soon as possible.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35But the big question is how.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42More than 200 miles north, near Edinburgh,
0:06:42 > 0:06:44it's the job of Police Scotland officers to patrol
0:06:44 > 0:06:47a very different section of the A1.
0:06:54 > 0:06:55Just outside Tranent,
0:06:55 > 0:06:57PCs Stewart Logan and Mike Nash
0:06:57 > 0:07:01have spotted a driver who's causing concern.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06Our attention was drawn just to this car that we've overtaken.
0:07:06 > 0:07:08It was going awful slow.
0:07:08 > 0:07:11And we've passed it, the driver is not wearing his seat belt
0:07:11 > 0:07:16so we're going to get him in this lay-by here.
0:07:29 > 0:07:31Hello, sir.
0:07:31 > 0:07:33The reason we've stopped you today is, when we overtook you,
0:07:33 > 0:07:35you weren't wearing your seat belt, OK?
0:07:35 > 0:07:37I wonder why that was.
0:07:37 > 0:07:42You're driving on a 70mph road with no seat belt on.
0:07:42 > 0:07:47It's not very good, OK? Do you have your licence with you today, sir?
0:07:47 > 0:07:49Stewart runs checks on the vehicle,
0:07:49 > 0:07:52but has his suspicions about the driver.
0:07:52 > 0:07:56I can't quite deduce if the smell, if it's an alcohol smell
0:07:56 > 0:07:58or something other in the car,
0:07:58 > 0:08:00so we'll do a breath test on him
0:08:00 > 0:08:04just now, that'll determine whether it is that or not.
0:08:04 > 0:08:06Have you had any alcohol in the last 20 minutes?
0:08:06 > 0:08:10OK, I'll check what time we stopped you and go from there.
0:08:10 > 0:08:13It's important in these circumstances that we confirm
0:08:13 > 0:08:15when the person has last consumed alcohol,
0:08:15 > 0:08:18because you have an illegal arrest, essentially,
0:08:18 > 0:08:21if you breath-test a person too early.
0:08:21 > 0:08:23He's had two pints.
0:08:23 > 0:08:25In Scotland, two pints will put
0:08:25 > 0:08:29the average Joe Public over the limit.
0:08:29 > 0:08:31My feeling is that, um,
0:08:31 > 0:08:33I think he's going to fail.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36Time to see if Stewart's prediction is right...
0:08:36 > 0:08:39You blow into it until I tell you to stop.
0:08:39 > 0:08:40You don't need to blow your socks off.
0:08:40 > 0:08:42Just a nice, steady breath, OK?
0:08:42 > 0:08:46When you're ready. Keep going, keep going, keep going.
0:08:46 > 0:08:47Stop - that's grand.
0:08:47 > 0:08:49..but the result is surprising.
0:08:51 > 0:08:54You are absolutely on the nail.
0:08:54 > 0:08:58Basically, one microgram more and you would be arrested.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03OK? The danger you have, sir,
0:09:03 > 0:09:08is that if you've only had alcohol in the last 20 minutes or so,
0:09:08 > 0:09:13your alcohol level may be increasing within your body.
0:09:13 > 0:09:17It means Stewart wants to try and keep the driver off the road
0:09:17 > 0:09:19for the next few hours.
0:09:19 > 0:09:23We can't legally stop him driving because he, theoretically,
0:09:23 > 0:09:25hasn't committed the offence yet.
0:09:27 > 0:09:30However, given how recently he's consumed alcohol,
0:09:30 > 0:09:34there's a high probability that his alcohol level is going up.
0:09:36 > 0:09:40We have advised him that it would be strongly recommended
0:09:40 > 0:09:44that he doesn't drive any longer for a period of time.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48With the driver compliant,
0:09:48 > 0:09:51Stewart gets him and his car off the A1 to the nearest town.
0:09:53 > 0:09:56It's over to you. You make the judgment call
0:09:56 > 0:10:00when you feel that you are in a better state,
0:10:00 > 0:10:03but I would certainly give it at least a couple of hours
0:10:03 > 0:10:06before you take to the wheel again.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09OK? That's you, all right? All the best. Take care. Bye-bye.
0:10:09 > 0:10:13For the driver, it's been a close shave.
0:10:13 > 0:10:17He was doing approximately 40mph in a 70mph limit,
0:10:17 > 0:10:21which isn't an offence, but it just draws attention to you.
0:10:21 > 0:10:23We were right with our suspicion.
0:10:23 > 0:10:26He was just lucky enough,
0:10:26 > 0:10:29very, very lucky, that he didn't fail the roadside.
0:10:38 > 0:10:40More than 200 miles south,
0:10:40 > 0:10:43the A1 is in gridlock, and the emergency services
0:10:43 > 0:10:46are dealing with a much more serious crisis.
0:10:48 > 0:10:51Traffic officers Paul Day and Rob Larkin
0:10:51 > 0:10:53are still sorting out a multi-car pile-up
0:10:53 > 0:10:57involving a woman with a potentially serious spinal injury.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00- Do you want some more lights or are you all right?- Fine.
0:11:00 > 0:11:05They've been forced to shut the whole of the northbound carriageway
0:11:05 > 0:11:07while they work out how to free her.
0:11:09 > 0:11:11As you can see, there's a lot of equipment, a lot of people,
0:11:11 > 0:11:14which is why traffic is stopped behind us.
0:11:14 > 0:11:16That gives a big, safe working area for everybody.
0:11:20 > 0:11:22The injured woman has now been immobile in her car
0:11:22 > 0:11:24for over an hour.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27It's imperative they make a decision on how to move her.
0:11:30 > 0:11:34The lady is now having her C spine immobilised by the paramedic,
0:11:34 > 0:11:37and because of the way the injury has presented,
0:11:37 > 0:11:40the fire brigade are going to have to extract her with the roof off.
0:11:42 > 0:11:46Neck pain can be an indicator of life-changing injuries,
0:11:46 > 0:11:51so medics want the woman to be lifted on a spinal board.
0:11:51 > 0:11:54Don't panic, darling. Just keep your head as still as possible.
0:11:56 > 0:11:58After the windscreen is out,
0:11:58 > 0:12:01they use the jaws of life to remove the roof.
0:12:01 > 0:12:03Lots of noise. Don't worry.
0:12:09 > 0:12:11The ambulance is just here.
0:12:20 > 0:12:22With the roof finally off,
0:12:22 > 0:12:25it takes six firefighters and five paramedics
0:12:25 > 0:12:26to safely move the casualty
0:12:26 > 0:12:30from her car and into the waiting ambulance.
0:12:32 > 0:12:33Just letting you know an update.
0:12:33 > 0:12:35The casualty is now out of the vehicle
0:12:35 > 0:12:38and the fire brigade are packing away.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42While the teams have been working to free the driver,
0:12:42 > 0:12:45miles of static traffic has been building.
0:12:46 > 0:12:50So, as the ambulance rushes to a nearby hospital,
0:12:50 > 0:12:52the pressure is now on to get the carriageway clear
0:12:52 > 0:12:54and everything moving again.
0:12:54 > 0:12:58It's an inconvenience to t'public, that's just a given.
0:12:58 > 0:12:59You can't do anything about that.
0:12:59 > 0:13:02It's been slightly bigger than we expected at first,
0:13:02 > 0:13:05so we've had to stop it for a lot longer than we first thought.
0:13:05 > 0:13:07Hopefully it shouldn't be too much longer.
0:13:10 > 0:13:12- As the fire service depart... - Got it?
0:13:12 > 0:13:16..Rob and Paul put the pieces of the stranded car back together
0:13:16 > 0:13:18so it can be taken away.
0:13:18 > 0:13:21Happy there? Bit of T-Cut, job's a good 'un.
0:13:22 > 0:13:26Which leaves one final job for the traffic officers...
0:13:26 > 0:13:30- Right, ready.- ..reopening the A1 as safely as possible.
0:13:32 > 0:13:34We run a nice, slow rolling road block.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37It gives the traffic time to build up steadily,
0:13:37 > 0:13:40so traffic doesn't come wandering up behind them and cause another one.
0:13:40 > 0:13:44Nearly two hours after they were the first to arrive,
0:13:44 > 0:13:48Rob and Paul are the last to leave the scene,
0:13:48 > 0:13:51but it will be a lot longer before the tailbacks clear behind them.
0:13:58 > 0:14:04With nearly 2,500 pieces of debris collected from the A1 every year,
0:14:04 > 0:14:06keeping the roads safe and clear
0:14:06 > 0:14:10is a key priority for the teams who watch over it.
0:14:10 > 0:14:12Near Morpeth in Northumberland,
0:14:12 > 0:14:14the police are targeting the problem.
0:14:14 > 0:14:16Monday morning, weekend's over.
0:14:16 > 0:14:20PC Darren Lant is on the lookout for any vehicles
0:14:20 > 0:14:22with dangerously unsecured loads
0:14:22 > 0:14:25which could end up causing a serious accident.
0:14:25 > 0:14:27Every time we see a heavy goods vehicle,
0:14:27 > 0:14:29I'll have a look at it and see if the load is secure.
0:14:29 > 0:14:31Imagine one of them coming off.
0:14:31 > 0:14:33They're probably a half a tonne tyre, something like that.
0:14:33 > 0:14:35And they're all strapped down, nice and secure.
0:14:35 > 0:14:38Every time we'll make sure whatever load it's carrying is safe.
0:14:38 > 0:14:40And stop it if we need to.
0:14:42 > 0:14:44But a few miles up the road,
0:14:44 > 0:14:46another driver's careless packing
0:14:46 > 0:14:50is leaving other A1 motorists' lives at risk.
0:14:50 > 0:14:52SIREN WAILS
0:14:54 > 0:14:57There's a van gone past,
0:14:57 > 0:15:02but his back doors are wide open and he's only got a bit of rope or tape
0:15:02 > 0:15:05or something over the doors.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08Once Darren can get a proper look,
0:15:08 > 0:15:10that's not the only thing wrong here.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13So the first thing - no numberplate.
0:15:13 > 0:15:15I cannot do a check on it because the numberplate
0:15:15 > 0:15:18is probably on the door. You know, he's got
0:15:18 > 0:15:22a load of stuff in there that's going to bounce all over the place.
0:15:22 > 0:15:26A large metal frame sticking out is why the doors have been wedged open.
0:15:26 > 0:15:28That appears to be secured tightly,
0:15:28 > 0:15:33but everything else loose in the back is a potential hazard.
0:15:33 > 0:15:36You've got boxes of tools, you've got bags of tools,
0:15:36 > 0:15:41you've got all sorts lying around in there which clearly are insecure.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44Someone driving along, they're doing 50, 60mph
0:15:44 > 0:15:48behind this guy and then a cordless drill bounces out
0:15:48 > 0:15:50the back of the truck and goes through the windscreen.
0:15:50 > 0:15:52It's going to cause serious injury there,
0:15:52 > 0:15:54it's going to cause a massive crash.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57Some may say it's an exaggeration that it could cause a fatality,
0:15:57 > 0:16:00but I don't see the exaggeration at all.
0:16:01 > 0:16:04We'll get him stopped and we'll have a chat with him
0:16:04 > 0:16:08and decide what we're going to do with the load.
0:16:11 > 0:16:13For police officers like Darren,
0:16:13 > 0:16:16driving with an unsecured load is a serious offence,
0:16:16 > 0:16:20and motorists caught in the act can face an immediate fine
0:16:20 > 0:16:23and points on their licence.
0:16:23 > 0:16:25All right? How are you doing?
0:16:25 > 0:16:27Is it your van, or a company van, or work's van or what?
0:16:27 > 0:16:30- Work van.- Come and have a chat with us for two seconds,
0:16:30 > 0:16:33we'll have... I need to do a sequence as to why I've stopped you.
0:16:33 > 0:16:34- Who loaded this?- Me.
0:16:34 > 0:16:38You did. It's not the right load for this van, like, is it?
0:16:38 > 0:16:41Cannot see your numberplate, where's your numberplate?
0:16:41 > 0:16:43I'm assuming it's on this side of the door, is it?
0:16:43 > 0:16:47You've got metal rods, you've got boxes...
0:16:47 > 0:16:50..all sorts, tools lying all over the place.
0:16:51 > 0:16:55The driver is cautioned, fined £100,
0:16:55 > 0:16:57and will receive three points on his licence.
0:16:57 > 0:16:59Had you put them in the front,
0:16:59 > 0:17:02passenger's footwell or something - fine, not a problem,
0:17:02 > 0:17:04but you cannot be driving up the A1 with tools loose like that
0:17:04 > 0:17:07in the back of there. If you've got to brake for some reason,
0:17:07 > 0:17:10all that is going to come out. Whether you agree with it or not,
0:17:10 > 0:17:13- but do you understand what I'm saying?- Yeah.- OK.
0:17:13 > 0:17:16With just a few miles left to go on his journey,
0:17:16 > 0:17:18Darren is prepared to let him continue
0:17:18 > 0:17:22if he can stash the dangerous items inside.
0:17:23 > 0:17:25I know you cannot put the rods or anything in there,
0:17:25 > 0:17:27but the stuff that's going to bounce around...
0:17:27 > 0:17:29I can tie the rods up.
0:17:29 > 0:17:31Yeah, if you can do that, that would be great.
0:17:40 > 0:17:41It's all secured up now, is it?
0:17:41 > 0:17:43- Aye, it's better. - Excellent, that's great.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46I'll follow you up round and then just make sure nowt bounces out.
0:17:46 > 0:17:48Right, thank you.
0:17:48 > 0:17:51It's not ideal, but I'm not going to prohibit him
0:17:51 > 0:17:55from moving any further. He's done the best he can now,
0:17:55 > 0:17:58certainly doesn't look like anything's going to fall out now,
0:17:58 > 0:17:59but prior to stopping him,
0:17:59 > 0:18:01that tool box was about to fall out, I think.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04It certainly wouldn't have taken much longer.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07After escorting the van to the next junction,
0:18:07 > 0:18:09Darren is convinced he has
0:18:09 > 0:18:12eliminated another potential danger from the A1.
0:18:12 > 0:18:14Him safely off the A1 now,
0:18:14 > 0:18:17there's less risk of any major injuries on the side roads.
0:18:17 > 0:18:20He'll get the paperwork through the post for it.
0:18:20 > 0:18:22But Darren is still on the lookout
0:18:22 > 0:18:26for more vehicles which pose a risk to other motorists.
0:18:27 > 0:18:31Nearly 150 miles south on the A1 near Doncaster in South Yorkshire,
0:18:31 > 0:18:34traffic officers Paul Day and Rob Larkin are back on patrol.
0:18:38 > 0:18:42And it's not long before they spot some stranded travellers
0:18:42 > 0:18:45who look like they could be in need of help.
0:18:45 > 0:18:47Bus.
0:18:47 > 0:18:49Seen from the opposite carriageway,
0:18:49 > 0:18:52we've got a broken-down bus, double-decker bus,
0:18:52 > 0:18:54- on the hard shoulder.- It's got kids on, and all.
0:18:54 > 0:18:56We believe there's passengers on it.
0:18:56 > 0:18:5937-38 on the Alpha A1 M, over.
0:18:59 > 0:19:03The hard shoulder's a notoriously dangerous place to be,
0:19:03 > 0:19:06and if there are children on board,
0:19:06 > 0:19:09Paul and Rob need to get them off the road quickly.
0:19:11 > 0:19:13Within minutes of looping back,
0:19:13 > 0:19:15they're at the stranded double-decker.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20And their concerns are confirmed.
0:19:23 > 0:19:24Driver!
0:19:24 > 0:19:27What have we got? How many kids have you got on?
0:19:27 > 0:19:31We have 46.
0:19:33 > 0:19:36With over 40 five- and six-year-olds on the bus,
0:19:36 > 0:19:40and traffic thundering up behind at 70mph,
0:19:40 > 0:19:43the priority is to get them to safety.
0:19:43 > 0:19:48But moving the kids off the bus isn't an option.
0:19:48 > 0:19:52There's nowhere to coral them here, just up the banking,
0:19:52 > 0:19:54so it's best to leave them on.
0:19:54 > 0:19:58We've put a bit of traffic management down the hard shoulder,
0:19:58 > 0:20:01and just make us a bit more visible to the travelling public.
0:20:03 > 0:20:06While Rob closes the hard shoulder behind the bus,
0:20:06 > 0:20:10Paul has another idea to protect the children.
0:20:10 > 0:20:11Have you got any spare seats?
0:20:11 > 0:20:16Right, can you move the kids from the back further forward,
0:20:16 > 0:20:18just in case somebody runs into the back of the bus.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21The kids are as safe as Paul can make them for now,
0:20:21 > 0:20:25but it's not the end to the school trip anyone was expecting.
0:20:26 > 0:20:28We've been to Yorkshire Wildlife Park
0:20:28 > 0:20:30and the bus has now broken down
0:20:30 > 0:20:32and we're stuck on the A1
0:20:32 > 0:20:37- with some very agitated, hyperactive children.- Yes.
0:20:37 > 0:20:41- Where has everybody been today? - CHILDREN:- Wildlife park!
0:20:41 > 0:20:44Wildlife park? And what sort of animals have we seen there?
0:20:44 > 0:20:47- Lions!- Lions? What noise does the lion make?
0:20:47 > 0:20:50- CHILDREN:- R-R-Ra-argh!
0:20:50 > 0:20:52Wow. That's loud.
0:20:52 > 0:20:54They should be back in Bradford by now.
0:20:54 > 0:20:58Instead, they're still more than 35 miles away.
0:20:58 > 0:21:04- We've been stuck about 25 minutes now?- No, longer, love. Longer.
0:21:04 > 0:21:06Who saw two meerkats?
0:21:06 > 0:21:08Did you compare 'em?!
0:21:08 > 0:21:11- No? Nobody got that one. - I did!- You did?
0:21:11 > 0:21:13TEACHER LAUGHS
0:21:15 > 0:21:17To everyone's relief,
0:21:17 > 0:21:19the replacement double-decker arrives.
0:21:19 > 0:21:25But now Paul needs to get 46 excited kids from one bus to another...
0:21:25 > 0:21:27Come on!
0:21:27 > 0:21:30..just a few feet from fast-moving traffic.
0:21:30 > 0:21:32WHISTLE BLOWS
0:21:32 > 0:21:34Right, really sensibly.
0:21:34 > 0:21:36Keep following. Thank you.
0:21:39 > 0:21:41Bye. See you.
0:21:41 > 0:21:44See you. Ta-ra. Bye. See you.
0:21:44 > 0:21:50With the kids all safely on board, all they need is the driver.
0:21:50 > 0:21:52They're all, Driver. You can go when you're ready.
0:21:54 > 0:21:57- See you, kids! Have a good day! - Thank you! Bye!
0:21:57 > 0:21:59Cheers, boss.
0:21:59 > 0:22:01And they're finally on their way.
0:22:05 > 0:22:10Paul and Rob's attention is now turning to moving the stranded bus.
0:22:10 > 0:22:13Yeah, the difficult bit is done.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16They were really good kids, I was impressed.
0:22:16 > 0:22:20Mechanics have arrived with water for the bus's leaking radiator.
0:22:20 > 0:22:23To get it started, they need to refill it.
0:22:23 > 0:22:26He's got to get water in from that side.
0:22:26 > 0:22:30But with the radiator cap just inches from fast-moving traffic,
0:22:30 > 0:22:34Paul and Rob need to close a lane of the A1 to protect the mechanics.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37Rob's gone back, he's called for signs and signals
0:22:37 > 0:22:39to put a lane-one closure on.
0:22:39 > 0:22:41There's no way he'll be able to get that in safely,
0:22:41 > 0:22:43not with this traffic anyway.
0:22:43 > 0:22:46Once Rob has safely coned off the area,
0:22:46 > 0:22:48the mechanics can top up the radiator.
0:22:48 > 0:22:52But to allow the bus to leave the A1 safely,
0:22:52 > 0:22:56Paul needs to create a gap in the traffic using another
0:22:56 > 0:22:58Highways England patrol.
0:22:58 > 0:23:011-3, yeah, can you get me an ETA for...
0:23:01 > 0:23:04I believe it's Yankee-One-Two, to get to 37?
0:23:04 > 0:23:07I'm thinking we might have to rolling block.
0:23:07 > 0:23:10But first, they need to get things moving again.
0:23:10 > 0:23:12Now, if we've still got this lane closure up,
0:23:12 > 0:23:14by the time he gets here,
0:23:14 > 0:23:16he's going to be stuck in the traffic
0:23:16 > 0:23:21and he won't create us a gap. So, if we take this off now,
0:23:21 > 0:23:24traffic starts flowing again and it facilitates us
0:23:24 > 0:23:28to create a gap to get this double-decker off.
0:23:30 > 0:23:32See our colleague now,
0:23:32 > 0:23:35he's at the back of this traffic creating a rolling roadblock.
0:23:35 > 0:23:37We can see him, he's created a gap,
0:23:37 > 0:23:40so now we can move off with the bus.
0:23:40 > 0:23:42Alpha, and for One-Two's benefit,
0:23:42 > 0:23:44this vehicle has left the scene.
0:23:44 > 0:23:47If he just keeps the block on, just till it clears.
0:23:48 > 0:23:52Finally, nearly two hours after arriving,
0:23:52 > 0:23:54Paul and Rob's work is done.
0:23:54 > 0:23:57The 46 kids and their bus are all safely off the A1
0:23:57 > 0:24:00and are on their way home.
0:24:07 > 0:24:11Police officers on the A1 have an armoury of technology
0:24:11 > 0:24:13on hand to help catch offenders.
0:24:13 > 0:24:16In Northumberland, close to the town of Alnwick,
0:24:16 > 0:24:20a suspicious vehicle has been flagged up.
0:24:20 > 0:24:24PC Darren Lant is partway through his shift.
0:24:24 > 0:24:28- Tango-Six.- His onboard camera, which is linked to
0:24:28 > 0:24:32a comprehensive Automatic Numberplate Recognition System -
0:24:32 > 0:24:33ANPR for short -
0:24:33 > 0:24:36has picked up a suspect vehicle.
0:24:36 > 0:24:38SIREN WAILS
0:24:38 > 0:24:41We've had a vehicle that went past that has no insurance,
0:24:41 > 0:24:43which poses a significant risk,
0:24:43 > 0:24:45which is why we need to try and see
0:24:45 > 0:24:47if we can find it and get him stopped
0:24:47 > 0:24:49and check that he has insurance.
0:24:49 > 0:24:52But the information is that he's not.
0:24:56 > 0:24:58This may well be him.
0:24:58 > 0:25:00Darren spots the van up ahead.
0:25:01 > 0:25:02Yeah, this is it.
0:25:11 > 0:25:13All right? How are we doing?
0:25:13 > 0:25:14Is this your van, is it?
0:25:14 > 0:25:16- No, it's me mate's. - It's your mate's, is it?
0:25:16 > 0:25:19- Can I see your driving licence? - I don't have owt with us, mate.
0:25:19 > 0:25:21- Are you insured to drive the van, are you?- Yeah.
0:25:21 > 0:25:23Come and have a chat with me for two seconds
0:25:23 > 0:25:25in the back of the car and we'll get some details down.
0:25:25 > 0:25:28We'll do a couple of checks, make sure everything is all right.
0:25:30 > 0:25:34The driver doesn't own the van, but still claims everything is in order.
0:25:34 > 0:25:37So I need to know which insurance you are using
0:25:37 > 0:25:40- that allows you to drive this van.- Halifax, mine.
0:25:40 > 0:25:42Right. Does it allow you to drive other vehicles,
0:25:42 > 0:25:43third-party, does it?
0:25:43 > 0:25:47- Yeah.- All right.- Time for another check, and an anxious wait.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52So the insurance on his vehicle, that expired in January, yeah?
0:25:52 > 0:25:56Driving without insurance could mean six points on his licence
0:25:56 > 0:25:58and a sizeable fine.
0:25:59 > 0:26:01It's not looking good, mate, OK?
0:26:01 > 0:26:04Your car, there's no insurance on that one, OK?
0:26:04 > 0:26:05- That's with the Halifax insurance. - Right.
0:26:05 > 0:26:08Well, they're saying there's no insurance on there,
0:26:08 > 0:26:10and there's no insurance showing on this one,
0:26:10 > 0:26:12so you're potentially driving with no insurance.
0:26:12 > 0:26:14I'm going to caution you. You're not under arrest,
0:26:14 > 0:26:15it's just something I've got to say
0:26:15 > 0:26:17when I suspect an offence has been committed.
0:26:17 > 0:26:19The next step is to seize the vehicle.
0:26:19 > 0:26:22The owner will have seven working days to claim it.
0:26:22 > 0:26:26If he doesn't, it could be sold or crushed.
0:26:26 > 0:26:28What will happen is, we'll have to take it away
0:26:28 > 0:26:30until such times that the owner can come and prove
0:26:30 > 0:26:33that they do own it and they have insurance for it.
0:26:35 > 0:26:38And the driver's problems, too, are piling up.
0:26:38 > 0:26:40He now has no van and it looks like
0:26:40 > 0:26:42he could be dropped off 50 miles
0:26:42 > 0:26:44from his home in Durham.
0:26:44 > 0:26:47We won't be taking you from here to Durham, like, all right?
0:26:47 > 0:26:49I'll let you know that straightaway,
0:26:49 > 0:26:50we'll not be taking you to Durham.
0:26:50 > 0:26:52We'll take you to Alnwick, the next big town,
0:26:52 > 0:26:55and you can arrange collection from there, all right?
0:26:57 > 0:27:0140 minutes later, the van and driver are taken
0:27:01 > 0:27:04to nearby Alnwick by another police officer.
0:27:04 > 0:27:05I class it as a success.
0:27:05 > 0:27:08It's another uninsured driver off the road,
0:27:08 > 0:27:09but it goes to prove the importance
0:27:09 > 0:27:12and the benefit and the value of ANPR fitted to the patrol cars.
0:27:15 > 0:27:17In Alnwick, the driver has to work out
0:27:17 > 0:27:20how to make the 50-mile journey home,
0:27:20 > 0:27:23but that's not Darren's problem.
0:27:23 > 0:27:26We're not taxis. We are a very limited and very expensive resource
0:27:26 > 0:27:29and we're needed at all times,
0:27:29 > 0:27:35and it just doesn't justify taking a patrol car off the road
0:27:35 > 0:27:38for any sort of unnecessary time.
0:27:42 > 0:27:43The van was finally returned to
0:27:43 > 0:27:47its owner after he produced proof of insurance.
0:27:47 > 0:27:52The motorist, Ivor Bennett, was later fined a total of £810
0:27:52 > 0:27:56and received six points on his licence
0:27:56 > 0:27:58for driving with no insurance.
0:27:58 > 0:28:02And after their bus broke down during their school trip,
0:28:02 > 0:28:05all the children finally had a safe journey back home.