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hits hauliers
NORMAN FOWLER, Shadow Transport Minister, has questioned the ethics of tactics used by British Rail to produce a TV advertisement film to show road haulage up in "the worst possible light."
In a strongly worded letter to BR chairman, Peter Parker, the Shadow Minister said that the ethics of BR approaching an operator for a vehicle for such a purpose must be questioned.
The plans for the campaign received a setback when the operator refused to hire the vehicle to BR.
The advertisement agency Lansdale Osborn managed to hire an outfit through Trailer Hire and Repair Ltd of Silwood Street, Bermondsey, London, SE 16.
The Mercedes unit FDX664L was one used by Middle East Salvage and Recovery Ltd in 1975 to reclaim broken down vehicles from Turkey.
When CM reporters arrived on location at midday at the village of Byfield on the B4036 near Banbury, the campaign received a further setback as the film crews stopped work.
The scene had been set to simulate a heavy goods vehicle passing through the village in the hours of darkness. Curtains were drawn and the streets were deserted except for the film unit and the 32-ton outfit, with its lights on.
The B4036 road runs between Banbury and Daventry and passes through three villages including Byfield.
A British Rail spokesman told CM, "We are preparing a series of TV commercials showing realistic situations and we have nothing to hide."
He said that they did not want to pre-empt the £200,000 campaign.
"We are hoping to show in context that the problems of heavy freight could be as well catered for on rail and could avoid the problems that are caused in villages." He denied there was any faking of shots.
The advertisement agency and the film company were unable to comment on Mr Fowler's opinion of the ethics involved.
Trailer Hire and Repair Ltd were not able to say if they knew the purpose for which the vehicle had to be used.