Following successful trials, the London Borough of Havering has fitted the VOPS2 overload warning system from Vehicle Weighing Solutions Ltd (VWS) to three of its Scarab Minor Sweepers.

Simon Blake, head of transport at London Borough of Havering, said: 'Overloading is always an issue with sweepers, especially in wet conditions when the hopper is only partially full but you've reached the payload.

'We needed an intelligent weighing system that would enable us to maximise the efficiency of the vehicles by collecting as much as possible but without overloading which could risk losing our Operators Licence.

'We trialled the VOPS2 system in a range of conditions and we were impressed. There is an in-cab display with an alarm that can either be set to sound off just before or when the maximum weight is reached so you can achieve a good payload, value for money and not have wasted trips to the transfer station. The weighbridge tickets showed that the loads were spot on.'

The VOPS2 system uses electronic load sensors that are installed between the axle and the body of the vehicle to detect the load applied to the axles. The reading is more accurate and the system can be fitted to any commercial vehicle ranging from 3.5-7.5 tonne GVW. The system only requires calibrating once a year.

The VOPS2 systems were installed to the sweepers by VWS engineers on site with installation times of between 4-8 hours per vehicle.VWS now plans to fit the system to the authority's larger sweepers when they are replaced.