Court sympathizes with haulier's 'weight' problem
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• Gloucester Crown Court Recorder Mr Victor Watts sympathized with hauliers who had no proper weighbridge facilities to comply with new Government regulations.
But he dismissed appeals by three firms against sentances imposed for exceeding axle weight limits of their goods vehicles.
Said Mr Watts: "We have a great deal of sympathy with the appellants. On the other hand these regulations have become law and the courts have no alternative but to see that these regulations are enforced".
The three firms were Thomas Gore and Son Ltd of Forge Side, Blaina, Monmouthshire; Isaac Caswell (EV) Ltd of Llanforst Sawmill, Abergavenny; and Cyril Williams (Brynmawr) Ltd of Cemetery Road, Brynmawr, Breconshire.
At Northleach magistrates' court, Gloucester, the firms had been each fined sums around /20. The grounds for the appeal was that the penalties were too severe.
Mr Harold Wilson, for the police, said that all the lorries involved were stopped and weighed but the drivers were all given absolute discharges at the court because they were not present when the lorries were loaded.
Mr Thomas Jones of Victoria Street, Blaina, managing director of Thomas Gore, said that the distribution of the steel coils on the lorries affected the back axle weight.
He claimed that there were no proper weighbridge facilities for checking the weight of the back axle, "It is not possible to axle weigh with any of these weighbridges," he said.
"If the Government bring out a law surely there should be more facilities to be able to check if the vehicles are within the law."