Huge hours fine cut to 25%
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• Fines imposed for drivers' hours offences on a North Wales livestock haulier have been cut by threequarters on appeal at Chester Crown Court.
LE Jones, of Ruthin, had been fined a total of ,£12,000 by the Denbigh magistrates after being convicted of six offences of permitting two drivers to take insufficient rest. (CM 9-15 May). In March, 22 of the company's drivers pleaded guilty to a series of drivers' hours offences and were fined a total of almost 0,000 (CM 28 Mar-3 Apr).
For the company, John Backhouse said 1,800 tachograph charts had been seized in a raid after a warrant had been issued under the Forgery and Counterfeiting Act. However, no charges had been brought and there had been no allegations regarding the falsification of charts.
The company had not actively encouraged the breaches but had not been strict enough in enforcing the regulations, Backhouse said. The analysis of the charts had revealed errors by the drivers and some had been dismissed.
He added that the amount of the fines would have a serious financial effect on the business, which had already been hit by the BSF, crisis.
Judge Elgan Edwards reduced the fines from .L2,000 per offence to £500, giving a total of £3,000.