Over 250 lorries without test
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certificates OFFENDERS RISK £100 FINES
• That nearly one in five of lorries first registered before 1961 (pre-1958 in Scotland) had not been plated and tested was revealed in a June roadside check by the Ministry of Transport.
Altogether 17,153 vehicles of all ages were stopped, 1,354 of them being pre-1961 (pre-1958 in Scotland). Of these 1,354, 259 lorries had not been plated and tested and their owners have been reported to the Licensing Authority concerned with a view to prosecution.
The three-day check is part of a campaign to remind lorry owners that their pre-1961 vehicles (pre-1958 in Scotland) are operating illegally if they have not been plated and tested. All vehicles built between 1961 and 1968 must be submitted to Ministry Testing Stations for plating and testing, according to the statutory timetable, before March 31 1970. They cannot be operated legally after the relevant dates in the timetable if they have not been plated and tested
From October 1 this year older goods vehicles subject to testing and plating regulations will not be licensed unless valid test certificates are produced: and such certifi cates will have to be produced for almost all pre-1968 goods vehicles over 30cwt unladen from April 1 next. No priority will be given to testing vehicles which are submitted late.
Despite the general publicity given to the scheme and to the time spent by Ministry examiners in explaining the requirements to operators during the past eight months, there is concern at the number of vehicles operating illegally without plating and testing certificates.
The Ministry intends to give priority to enforcing the Plating and Testing Regulations and prosecution action will be considered by the Licensing Authority whenever prima facie offences are discovered. Offenders can be fined a total of £100.
As a result of the three-day check, warnings were given in over 1,900 instances of minor infringements of the law. In another 1,100 cases involving more serious offences, reports were made to the Licensing Authorities for prosecution action to be considered.
• A new office block at Petted] Bridge, London Road. Carlisle, is planned by the National Freight Corporation for BPS Parcels Ltd. The scheme was recommended for conditional approval on June 30.