The driver of the bin lorry that killed six people in Glasgow after he blacked out at the wheel has been arrested after allegedly driving a car while banned.
Harry Clarke, 58, was detained by Police Scotland and reported to prosecutors after he was allegedly seen driving a car on 20 September, despite having had his driving licence suspended on medical grounds.
A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: “A 58-year-old man was arrested in connection with alleged road traffic offences and a report has been sent to the procurator fiscal.” She was unable to provide any further details.
A fatal accident inquiry into the crash in central Glasgow only a few days before Christmas last year heard Clarke had failed to tell his employers, Glasgow city council, and medical experts about a previous blackout at the wheel of a bus and a history of dizziness, fainting, vertigo and heart problems.
The crash killed Erin McQuade, 18, her grandparents Jack Sweeney, 68, and Lorraine Sweeney, 69, from Dumbarton; Stephanie Tait, 29, and Jacqueline Morton, 51, both from Glasgow; and Gillian Ewing, 52, from Edinburgh. Fifteen people were injured.
The bin lorry had careered uncontrolled down several crowded streets for 19 seconds, mounting the pavement before crashing into the side of the Millennium Hotel on George Square, after Clarke’s crew members tried but failed to rouse him.
In June, before the full extent of Clarke’s history of ill health came to light, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency suspended Clarke’s driving licence for a year and banned him from driving heavy goods vehicles for a year.
