Eastender's licence cut
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• East Londonbased haulier Whites Transport has had its licence cut from 11 vehicles and trailers to just four vehicles, following maintenance problems and failure to pay vehicle excise duty.
Metropolitan Licensing Authority Ronald Ashford also curtailed the East Ham firm's licence which now runs out in March 1992, instead of 1994.
Evidence revealed that seven prohibitions had been issued to White's vehicles between January 1989 and May 1990, two of them had subsequently been varied. The prohibitions had Listed a total of 38 defects and White had been sent a written warning about maintenance in May 1989, In addition, between 1986 and 1989, White had been convicted of seven offences relating to vehicle excise duty and there had been a number of mitigating penalties.
Ashford said that the number of convictions indicated that White had a deliberate policy of not paying vehicle excise duty. He did not accept that the problem had been caused by administrative errors, pressure of work or White's absence from the business.
White had failed to run his business within the law, and that was incompatible with the requirements of the licensing system, said Ashford.
While recognising that White had operated for many years without a blemish, that did not reduce the seriousness of the offences, said Ashford.