Welsh deny charges
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• Two South Wales coach operators and eight of their drivers have denied allegations involving the falsification of tachograph charts, before the Avon North Magistrates.
Howard Mainwaring, trading as Main Line Travel of Tonyrefail, Mid-Glamorgan was accused of causing drivers Geoffrey Tarling, Dennis Ridley, Kenneth Day and Peter Walters to make false entries on tachograph charts: they were charged with a total of 24 offences.
Gwyn Jones & Son of Bridgend, had also been accused of causing drivers Emlyn Griffiths, Bernard Buller, Michael Davey and John Jones to make false entries on tachograph charts. They faced a total of 10 offences of making false entries.
Prosecuting, Stephen Carpenter said that in October 1986 the police were investigating a particular coach company in South Wales, which had led to other companies being investigated. The defendants had been engaged in long distance journeys carrying holidaymakers from South Wales to the South of France and down into Spain and back.
The allegations revolved around the falsification of tachograph charts to cover up the driving of excessive hours, which resulted in fatigue and danger to passengers and other road users.
The charges before the court were specimens of the offences found, which also included the falsification of tachograph charts on domestic journeys. The defendants' trial was set for August, and six days have been set aside for its completion.