Licence lost over untaxed vehicles
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• An Essex operator who was said to have
operated untaxed vehicles for years and to owe tens of thousands of pounds in unpaid vehicle excise duty has lost his licence at a Cambridge disciplinary inquiry.
Benfleet-based David Cassar, trading as DC Transport, held a nine-vehicle licence. Eastern Traffic Commi-ssioner Brigadier Compton Boyd also disqualified Cassar from holding or obtaining a licence for two years.
Cassar's son-in-law; Mathew Chapman, said he was unable to attend as he was in Malta looking after his sick mother. He conceded that the vehicles were now being operated by a limited company, SIX Transport. He and Cassar's son were directors of this company, which did not hold an 0-licence. Cassar had thought he could transfer his licence to SIX Transport.
Richard Henunington, an enforcement officer with the Chelmsford Vehicle Registration Office, said that untaxed vehicles had been seen on the road 35 times since 1994. Difficulties in interviewing Cassar had meant there had only been two successful prosecutions. A cheque submitted to pay VED for five vehicles had bounced. Some of these vehicles had not been taxed for years, said Hemmington, and the unpaid vehicle excise duty must amount to tens of thousands of pounds.
Chapman said that Cassar had been unable to afford to tax the vehicles because a number of ellstomers had gone into liquidation owing him large amounts of money.
DOT traffic examiner Clare Curtis said that attempts to examine Cassar's tachograph charts had proved unsuccessful.
Compton Boyd said that revocation was inevitable on grounds of finance and repute. Prohibition notices showed that the vehicles had not been kept in a fit and serviceable condition.