Irregularities? Not enough evidence either, says LA
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A COCKERMOUTH (Cumberland) plant hire company had been operating lorries illegally for three months, Northern LA, Mr. J. A. T. Hanlon, was told in Cockermouth last Friday.
Workington Plant Hire Co. Ltd. applied for eight B licences for tipping lorries to carry civil engineering plant and equipment for Leonard Fairclough Ltd., and subsidiary and associated companies. Workington Plant Hire is a wholly owned subsidiary of Leonard Fairclough. There were 15 objectors to the application, which was turned down for lack of evidence.
Mr. Eric Taylor, for Workington Plant Hire, said that Fairclough was working on M6 motorway at Penrith and often had a shortage of tipping lorries.
Mr. John Barry Bucknall, Fairclough transport manager, said because the company owned its own lorries it meant that lorries could be available where and when they were wanted.
Mr. John Powell, a director of both companies, said Fairclough operated 3,000 items of equipment and had contracts for the coming year worth £20m. "If our equipment is standing idle because of a shortage of tippers it is a financial disaster. And there is frequently a shortage of tippers at the site near Penrith", he said.
Under cross-examination by Mr. T. H. Campbell Wardlaw, for the objectors, Mr. Powell admitted his firm was applying for a licence which would allow it to carry goods for any person who was working on the same site as Fairclough, not just for Fairclough, and its subsidiary and associated companies. Then Mr. Wardlaw said that some of the objectors had seen the company's lorries without licence discs.
The inquiry was adjourned for 90 minutes. Then Mr. Taylor said that although the application form for the licences had been handed in, the firm had been operating illegally for three months, without licences. "There are certain irregularities which will be dealt with immediately", he said.
Mr. Hanlon said that he was not considering the irregularities.