Customer's prerogative
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• D. L. Blake and Co. Ltd., of Merthyr Tydfil, was granted two additional artics on A licence at a public inquiry in Cardiff last week, BRS was objecting The hearing was resumed from November 19 when the original application was for three additional vehicles and objections were heard from British Railways and Hill's Transport as well as BRS. BR and Hill's withdrew their objectIons when Blake amended its application to seek authorization for only two vehicles, The hearing was adjourned so that a spokesman for the named customer could give evidence, Mr. B. Watkins, works director of Helliwells Ltd., of Aberdare, for whom the additional vehicles would work, said that his company had made use of BRS vehicles for small loads to destinations not normally served by private hauliers, but there had been many complaints about the service given.
"We have had complaints from customers in terms of time of delivery", said Mr. Watkins, "and some of our customers have expressly forbade us to send by BRS. We have lost customers because of the inefficiency of BRS."
He said that one load of special metal tubing had been lost in transit with BRS and, when the tubes had eventually been found and delivered, they were rusted. The customer no longer used Blake.
BRS rates, according to Mr. Blake, were between five and 10 per cent higher than those of the main contractor employed by Helliwells.
Mr. N. Lloyd-Edwards, for BRS, said that at the adjournment the LA had stated that he was inclined to refuse the application; nothing in Mr. Watkins' evidence had taken the matter any further.
Granting the application as amended, the LA said that circumstances had changed since then, The application had been reduced, he had heard Mr. Watkins' evidence of need and there was now only one objector.
"It would seem whether I grant this application or not", he said, "it would not help British Road Services because Mr. Watkins has said quite clearly he does not wish to use BRS—and that is any customer's prerogative."