A LORRY filled with £100,000 of smuggled alcohol was one of 11 vehicles seized during road safety checks.

Fines were handed to 36 drivers for not wearing seatbelts, 12 for using mobile phones while driving and eight for having expired MoTs, during an Essex Police operation.

Officers from the force’s commercial vehicle unit carried out checks on heavy goods vehicles and vans intercepted on the M25 and A13, while road policing colleagues stopped and checked vehicles using the A126 near Lakeside on Tuesday.

During stops on the A126, eight vehicles were seized, five for being uninsured and three because drivers didn’t have valid licences.

A lorry intercepted by police was later seized by HM Revenue and Customs officers after it was found to be carrying £100,000 of smuggled wine.

A further 28 vehicles were taken to the Moto Services stop check site, near Lakeside, for investigation. Two were seized for no insurance and one was seized for a driving licence offence Two vehicles were prohibited from the roads until repairs were carried out and one was found to be in a dangerous condition.