Red card for a two-time loser
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11 . Bradfordbased Howard Uttley's twovehicle licence has been revoked for the second time by North Eastern Deputy Licensing Authority John Hampton.
The DLA originally revoked the licence when Uttley failed to attend disciplinary proceedings in March (CM 22-28 March) but he later accepted that there had been some confusion over the hearing date, and agreed to rehear the case.
Vehicle examiner David Howram said he had examined the vehicle involved in a fatal accident in June at the roadside, and had issued it with a prohibition notice for 21 defects, including serious faults with the steering, brakes, tyres, lights and suspension. Five sets of roadwheels were found to be insecure.
A second vehicle was examined in September and issued with an immediate prohibition notice for serious defects to the brakes, steering and a tyre. There was no planned maintenance system: the same vehicle failed its annual test in November for nine items.
Howram agreed that the vehicle involved in the accident had been turning right when a stolen motor cycle collided with it, and that it was stationary at the time. Uttley said it was a quarry vehicle, which he took home at weekends because of vandalism in the quarry. He had been fined 2485 by the Bradford Magistrates for three offences relating to the condition of that vehicle and agreed he had been using it until it fell apart, saying that it was not worth repairing again.
Hampton pointed out that of four inspection sheets produced relating to the two vehicles, three had no odometer readings, one was undated and one was unsigned.
Revoking the licence. Hampton said that he accepted that the accident had not been caused by Uttley's vehicle, but the situation that had then come to light was quite appalling. Uttley had deliberately failed to effectively maintain the vehicle for some considerable time, and the DLA was satisfied that it had been a danger to the public.
It seemed to him that it had been a "shoestring" operation. The maintenance arrangements could at best be described as haphazard and that was not good enough, he said. He had to consider the safety of the public and had no alternative but to revoke the licence.