Licence is cut for use of red diesel
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• A haulage firm caught using red diesel has escaped having its licence revoked. A bulk tipper operated by C Smith & Sons, of Sladen Fold Farm, Summit, Littleborough, was stopped in a roadside check in April by Customs and Excise.
Officer Philip Gordon told North Western Traffic Commissioner Keith Waterworth being driven at a Leeds discipli nary inquiry that police had suspected the vehicle was using rebated fuel. He found the fuel tank was full of red diesel. The lorry was seized and returned to the firm on payment of a £2,000 penalty.
Gordon agreed that tests on two other lorries and a 4x4 had proved negative but said the penalty reflected the use of red diesel on more than one occasion.
Michael Smith, proprietor, said the company bought 4,000-4,500 gallons of red diesel each month to use in its civil engineering plan. He had not known the tip. per had gone out with a full tank of red diesel. The driver was no longer with the company Since the incident the company had been monitoring red diesel, said Smith. He was satisfied the source of any such abuse had been stopped. He denied there had ever been an attempt to defraud the Exchequer. The commissioner said it was clear it was not an isolated incident and doubted the explanation. He added the idea of a driver spiriting away diesel fuel and then filling up with red diesel beggared belief. If it happened again and he got the slightest indication it was part of a pattern the licence would be revoked.
Smith said an untaxed vehicle had been used when a lorry was back to the firm's base from a building site job.
Though the company had been convicted of using a lorry which was not specified on the operator's licence, it had never operated more vehicles than it was licensed for.
Waterworth cut Smith's authorisation by one vehicle for two months.