Device for locking a vehicle steering column

The lock for the spindle (2) in a car steering system comprises a bolt (6) whose end can slide through a channel in a guide (12) and into a recess (7) in the spindle. The guide has a locking pin (17) mounted in a recess (15) in the guide and biased by a spring (16) towards the channel. The bolt has a corresponding recess (21), into which the pin slides when it is in line with the recess in the guide. A slide closes the top (23) of the recess in the guide to retain the pin in the unlocked position.