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ME CASE
Page 33
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Hire firm ignores previous undertakings and risks licence
A NORTH WALES hire firm that ignored undertakings given at two previous public inquiries is waiting to see what action will he. taken against its Olicence. A vehicle examiner described its fleet as an -accident waiting to happen",
Pwllheli-based Jonathan Williams-Ellis, trading as Glasfryn Hire, had been called before the Welsh Traffic Commissioner David Dixon. In addition to considering action against the licence. the TC had received an application to increase the authorisation from seven vehicles and one trailer to eight vehicles and two trailers.
Dixon said he had taken no action in July 2000 after receiving undertakings that inspections would be carried out everv six weeks. with roller brake tests every 12 weeks. In February 2003 he had curtailed the licence to six vehicles for one week.
Vehicle examiner David Rowlands said that in May a vehicle was given an S-marked immediate prohibition, showing a serious lapse in maintenance, for an insecure sidegua rd. When the vehicle was produced for clearance five further defects were found, including a brake caliper that was beyond repair. Rowlands examined live vehicles and one trailer, issuing two immediate prohibitions, one of which was S-marked.
There was only one inspection sheet for one vehicle and two for another over the past 15 months. There was a gap of 20 weeks between inspections for one vehicle and 31 weeks for another.
There were no records of any roller brake tests. and the driver defect books appeared to be a cosmetic exercise. Rowlands considered the vehicles "an accident waiting to happen".
Transport consultant Robert Singleton outlined the steps taken to put satisfactory systems in place. Williams-Ellis said there had been pressures on the business and he hadn't been in a position to check and double-check what was going on in the transport operation. His mind had been on other things.
The TC is to announce his decision in writing.
PAST FAILINGS The TC has to decide whether the positive steps now taken to put matters right outweigh the past failings, in particular the failure to fulfil undertakings given at previous public inquiries where maintenance was the issue.