Watching the defectives
Page 9
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A KENT COMPANY has been fined a total of E125 by Gravesend Magistrates, after one of its ERF tractive units was stopped last September in Northfleet and found to have a defective braking system, defective steering, and defective windscreen washers. The driver was also fined 00 and had his licence endorsed.
Leonard Green, of L and G Green Transport (Medway) Ltd, told the court that the vehicle had passed its plating test on August 17, had stayed in the yard until September 10, and had been used for only eight working days between passing its test and being found faulty. The vehicle was in fact a spare one and while Mr Green admitted that is washer bottle was empty, he questioned the claims that the steering and braking systems were defective.
The driver, Roland Chidley, said that his regular vehicle was being repaired and that he took the ERF out knowing that it had just passed its test, and therefore thought it was in good order. He had no way of telling that there was a steering defect, he told the court.
Despite this, Mr Chidley was fined £20 for the brake defect, and had his licence endorsed; £20 for the steering defect, with an endorsement; and £10 for the defective windscreen washers.
The company was fined £50, £50, and £25 respectively, and was given 28 days to pay.