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Licence revoked after director admits to 'losing the plot'

21st February 2008
Page 25
Page 25, 21st February 2008 — Licence revoked after director admits to 'losing the plot'
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Keywords : Trailer

A C:11ESHIRE company, whose managing director admitted she had -lost the plot", has lost its licence due to serious maintenance problems including brake defects, an insecure fuel tank and no safety records.

Northwich-based Britex, which had an international licence for live vehicles and two trailers, was called before North Western Deputy Traffic Commissioner Mark Hinchliffe.

Vehicle examiner Colin Haselden said that during an unannounced targeted maintenance investigation in September 2007, he inspected two vehicles and a trailer.The trailer was given an S-marked prohibition for five serious brake defects. One vehicle was given an immediate prohibition for an insecure fuel tank and the other a prohibition for an inoperative tachograph. There were no maintenance facilities on site maintenance was carried out by two unskilled staff— no safety inspection records were available and none were filled in. The initial pass rate at annual test over the past two years was 14.29 °/0. That did not include five attempts to get the trailer through annual test.

Managing director Susan Robinson said she had been very ill and "had taken her eye off the ball-, and had taken one vehicle off the road.ribe vehicles had been used three times since September 2007, which was the last time proper safety inspections were carried out. Robinson said the operational vehicle was going into a commercial garage for a pre-MoT check and the trailer for a safety inspection that week.

The DTC was told Robinson had had an 0-licence for 20 years and had never had a prohibition before. She said she had spent £1,700 on having the trailer brakes repaired yet they still fell apart and she felt she "had lost the plot". She agreed that the company had not had an international CPC holder since November 2001.

Revoking the licence, the DTC said: "This is a sorry story." Al hough he sympathised with Robinson's personal circumstances. operators needed to be up to speed with modern requirements.


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