ARMOURED cars at Bovington army camp were stopped in their tracks today when military chiefs banned them from the roads.
Top brass ordered its 780-strong fleet off public highways nationwide amid fears that faulty drive shafts caused two accidents earlier this year.
The Warriors, believed to number around 15 at Bovington Camp, have also been limited to a 30mph top speed. The ban comes five weeks after a 30 tonne Warrior and a van collided at Poxwell, near Weymouth. A man suffered minor injuries in the collision, but a faulty drive shaft was not thought to be at fault.
An Army spokesman said today: "There have been problems with faulty drive shafts.
"Not all Warriors have been affected, but safety considerations are paramount. There has been a blanket restriction on them."
The army checked its entire fleet of Warriors after two accidents in February and March when vehicles veered out of control
On both occasions the drive shafts are believed to have snapped.
Warriors, described as the Army's workhorse, were used in action in the 1991 Gulf War and for peacekeeping operations in the Balkans.
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