TRUCKERS who brazenly flouted bridge and road weight limits in heavy vehicles have been fined a total of more than £1,600.

Trading Standards brought prosecutions against five drivers for using restricted roads and bridges across Oxfordshire.

Marcie Mieczyslaw Gruba, Richard Harrison and Barry Stapleton all admitted driving their heavy vehicles through the 7.5 tonne-limit zone in Enstone, West Oxfordshire.

Gruba, 35, from Burton on Trent, and 35-year-old Harrison, of Bolton Le Sands, Carnforth, admitted driving their 44-tonne heavy goods vehicles in B4030 Bicester Road contrary to the weight limit.

Stapleton, 66, of Cotswold Crescent, Chipping Norton, admitted driving a 26-tonne vehicle on the B4030 Bicester Road, through Enstone, in July.

Gruba was fined £293 and ordered to pay £130 costs and a £29 victim surcharge at a hearing at Oxford Magistrates' Court on Monday.

Harrison was fined £390, ordered to pay £130 in costs and a £39 victim surcharge, while Stapleton was fined £293, with £130 costs and a £29 victim surcharge.

Martin Cox, 33, from Farncombe, Surrey, was fined £250 by magistrates for driving his 44-tonne truck through Islip's High Street in June, breaching its 7.5-tonne weight limit.

Cox was also ordered to pay £130 in costs and a £25 victim surcharge.

James McCue admitted driving his 31-tonne vehicle over Forest Road River Bridge in Charlbury.

The 51-year-old, from Chester Le Street, County Durham, was fined £400, ordered to pay £130 costs and a £40 victim surcharge.

Trading Standards operations manager Jody Kerman said flouting weight limits put other drivers, roads and bridges at risk.

He added: "Weight restrictions are there for very good reasons, either to protect bridges that have become structurally weakened, or because the use of particular roads by heavy goods vehicles is not suitable.

"It may be tempting for drivers to ignore such regulations for a shortcut, but by doing so they are potentially putting other road users or roads and bridges at risk."

Mr Kerman said that his office regularly receives calls from concerned residents about heavy vehicles breaching weight limits, such as in Enstone where they are monitoring road users.

He added: "It is clear, from the number of reports from local communities, that vehicles breaking weight restrictions are a real concern.

"This type of enforcement supports local communities as it targets those who ignore the rules and regulations that the vast majority of road users, including local businesses, adhere to."