Prosecutions Follow Christmas Rush
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THE rush to deliver Christmas turkeys last year resulted in 60 cases of excessive driving hours and failure to keep records coming before Salisbury county magistrates, last week. Gordon Carter Turkeys (Sales), Ltd., Standlynch Farm, Downton, and seven employees, who all pleaded guilty to the charges, were fined a total of £45. An advocate's fee of £21 and costs of £1 2s. 9d. were also awarded against the defendants. The company faced 22 charges of permitting drivers to work excessive hours, and a further eight summonses for failing to keep records. They were fined £1 on each. For exceeding permitted driving hours, five employees were fined 10s. on each of 21 charges. For failing to keep records, two of these employees and, two others were fined 10s. on each of eight charges. Defending, Mr. D. Charsley Thomas claimed that the regulations on driving hours were designed to prevent longdistance drivers from suffering distress. In this instance, small vans were employed for short journeys. The offences, in many cases, he claimed, were technical ones in nature. In 20 of the 30 cases he could give examples where some 21hours' rest had been taken by the men who were not wholly employed as drivers. They spent a considerable amount of their time working in the factory, which was ektremely busy at that time of year. Giving judgment, Mr. L. Combes, presiding, said that consideration had been given to the fact that all the time had not been taken up by driving. However, the long hours worked might have affected the men's driving the following day.