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Paraffin in tanks leads to double revocation
Page 31
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The licences held by two operators sharing the same premises in Co Durham have been revoked after paraffin was found in the fuel tanks of their vehicles.
TWO OPERATORS sharing the same address have had their licences revoked after a raid by Customs found 13 vehicles running on paraffin. Montana Freight Services, run by John James McCaffrey and licensed for six vehicles and six trailers was called before North Eastern TrafInc Commissioner Tom Macartney together with Pallas Transport, run by Sylvia Pallas, and licensed for 16 vehicles and six trailers.
Traffic examiner Kevin Barnes described a raid carried out on the Birtley premises in February in conjunction with Customs & Excise. He said three of four vehicles held by Montana Freight Services and 10 of 13 vehicles held by Pallas Transport were found to contain significant amounts of paraffin in their fuel tanks. Significant amounts of paraffin were also found in the main fuel tank held on the premises shared by both operators. Customs & Excise impounded five vehicles in total belonging to either Pallas Transport or Montana Freight Services.
Pallas said she shared the operating centre and its facilities with her partner McCaffrey. She agreed that her operations as Pallas Transport were very closely linked to Montana Freight Services on a daily basis, with facilities being shared and vehicles frequently being interchanged. An application in the name of Pallas Transport for a new operator's licence had been submitted for a total of 24 vehicles. That would combine the operation of both Montana Freight Services and Pallas Transport.
Customs & Excise had seized 22.000 litres of fuel from the full fuel bunker which had an approximate value of 75p/litre, resulting in a penalty to Montana Freight Services/Pallas Transport of around £16,000. She said £10,000 had been paid to Customs & Excise to secure the return of the impounded vehicles.
In reply to the TC. McCaffrey said he had received 4,000 litres of fuel at the unusually cheap price of 52p per litre from a passing fuel tanker. That vehicle had some "spare" fuel left over at the weekend immediately prior to the dawn raid in February. With hindsight, he thought that this may have been the source of the paraffin.
Revocation Revoking the licences on the grounds that both operators had lost their repute. the TC said McCaffrey had confirmed that 4,000 Litres of suspect fuel at a suspiciously low price had been accept ed 48 hours before the raid hy Customs & Excil He found Pallas was dissembling and attemptii to deceive him in her claims that some of the fu had been bought the previous summer.
Pallas had denied all knowledge of how 11 paraffin got into the tanks and had initially deriii making the £26,000 payment to Customs.']] TC could not accept that Pallas had not thoug about the source of the fuel and discussed it detail with her partner in view of the significa financial penalty of £26,000. The large scale use paraffin was unacceptable and went to the heE of the good repute of any operator. •