A pardon for lost wheels
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• A court has pardoned a driver punished for using a vehicle in a dangerous condition after his artic shed both nearside wheels on the M6.
The record of Wallasey lorry driver Andrew Halewood has been cleared of the penalty points and a £100 fine after his accident was blamed on "lost wheel phenomenon".
Consultant engineer Stan Thomas gave evidence at Chester Crown 'Court that, in his opinion, the accident was another incidence of unexplained loss of wheels. He said the rear nearside wheels lost from Halewood's artic were the most vulnerable, due to cyclic pressure being greatest there.
For Halewood, Andrew Thomas said the artic had been regularly maintained with the driver checking the wheel studs on the morning of the accident by tapping them with a hammer. He added that the offences of socalled "strict liability" the High Court laid down the principle of "no fault, no liability".