Smiths' licence not necessary
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El Despite winning a new national licence for 61 vehicles based in the West Midlands, Smiths Haulage (Blechington) decided not to take up the allocation after it was told that it did not really require a licence in the region.
The company's application to run 61 vehicles and 10 trailers from Fish Hill Quarry, Broadway, Worcestershire attracted objections from Wychavon District Council and Hereford and Worcester County Council as well as a representation from the Broadway Trust. The district council failed to appear and the county council's objection was ruled to be out of time by West Midland Licensing Authority John Mervyn Pugh.
The Broadway Trust was worried about the number of vehicles involved. Managing director Graham Bagshaw explained that the vehicles and trailers were already authorised on a licence held in the South Eastern Traffic Area where they distributed aggregates from the company's own Fish Hill Quarry. He said that he felt that a licence was necessary in the Midlands because vehicles stayed at the quarry overnight, but the company was happy to limit the quarry to no more than three vehicles at any one time.
Mervyn Pugh granted a licence for 61 vehicles to be acquired with the agreed condition, but discussions followed and it was decided that a licence was not necessary.