1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186 
No 0-licence for director who fitted interrupters
Page 12
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
PRESTON, LANCS-based R Ascroft Plant Hire has been refused an operator's licence for six vehicles.
North-Western Deputy Traffic Commissioner Mark Hinchliffe rejected the application after hearing that two vehicles owned by its sister company, Ascroft International, had been found with interrupter devices.
A third vehicle had had its tachograph aitered. One of the firm's drivers alleged that Robert Ascroft, director of both R Ascroft Plant Hire and Ascroft International, had fitted the devices.
Hinchcliffe said Robert Ascroft
and transport manager John Ascroft had been involved in "illegal and dangerous" practices.
He said there was no doubt that Robert Ascroft would have known that four vehicles had been fitted with a switch, and that nine drivers had used switches to generate a total of 74 inaccurate readings. His father, Graham Ascroft, instructed drivers in the use of the switches, Hinchcliffe added, and often used the switch himself.
A spokesman for Hinchcliffe warns: "If people are caught interfering with tachographs they can expect tough action from the Traffic Commissioner."