Derbyshire traffic cops respond to criticism after punishing driver of lorry which run out of fuel

In a tweet shortly after 5.30pm on Thursday, Derbyshire Roads Policing Unit said there were ‘long delays on the A610 at Ripley backing all the way up to the A38’ after the HGV conked out.

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“Fuel is on the way and our pen is out writing a ticket for the driver,” officers tweeted, followed by #ProfessionalDriver #Wow.

In response, one Twitter user said: “Why does this warrant a ticket? Bit harsh.”

Another said: “What offence does running out of fuel amount to?”

The traffic cops replied: “Lots of comments re giving the driver a break.

“He blocked a junction for approximately 90 minutes, causing a 1.8-mile tailback which took around 30 minutes to travel what is normally a two-minute journey.

“Thousands of people inconvenienced as he ignored the fuel warning light.”

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