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
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212 
Overloaded van caught bang to rights
Page 38
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
A VAN CARRYING fireworks was so overloaded that it was down on its springs with compressed tyres. The driver was ordered to pay 1598 in fines and costs and is being investigated by police under the hazchem regulations.
Stephen Cooper, of Harpur Hey, Manchester, pleaded guilty to the offence by letter before the Rochdale magistrates John Heaton, prosecuting for Vosa, said the van had been directed into a check at Thornham Island by a Vosa-accredited powers-to-stop officer. The van was travelling from Lincoln to Manchester and had a gross plated weight of 3.500kg. The first axle weighed 2,071kg, an overload of 471kg (29.44%). The second axle weighed 3,589kg, an overload of 1,349kg ( 60.22% ). The vehicle's gross weight was 5,660kg, an overload of 2,160kg (61.71% ).The excessive overload meant it was being driven on the road in a dangerous condition. The police were investigating whether the van and its load fell within the hazchem regulations.
Cooper had said he had not realised the van was overweight. He thought that a 3.5-tonne vehicle could carry 3.5 tonnes. and that most people would think that.
The magistrates fined Cooper £450 and ordered him to pay f 148 prosecution costs