• A Merseyside owner-driver, who had earlier pleaded not guilty
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to overloading the front axle of his vehicle, was ordered to pay fines and costs totalling £360 when he failed to appear before Stafford magistrates.
They found Stanley Eames of Prescott guilty, fining him 2310 with £50 towards the prosecution costs.
Patrick McKnight, prosecuting for the West Midland Traffic Area, said the 16-tonne vehicle, owned and driven by Eames, had been seen last November on the M6 motorway carrying timber. The vehicle had been stopped and weighed at the Doxey dynamic axle weighbridge.
Traffic examiner Richard Denby said the front axle had weighed some 6,800kg — 700kg over the permitted maximum and an overload of some 11.4%. The vehicle looked as if it had been overloaded at the front. Eames had said that he had not weighed before setting out, and had had no idea where the nearest weighbridge was. He had maintained that the vehicle should not have been overloaded, as it had only been carrying 10 tonnes.