Harthill Bros revisited
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• Decision has been reserved on whether Worcester hauliers Timothy and Robin Harthill trading as Harthill Bros are fit to hold an operator's licence after a series of convictions led to them being ordered to pay £15,050 in fines, costs and back duty by the Worcester magistrates (CM July 19).
The Harthills had been called to disciplinary proceedings before West Midland Licensing Authority Ronald Jackson because of convictions for offences including failure to use tachographs correctly, taxing vehicles at the wrong rate of duty and using them without test certificates and 0licences. Evidence was also given by a traffic examiner that the operating centre at Woodbury Quarry was rarely used if at all, that there was no formal agreement for its use and that no rent was paid.
Timothy Harthill maintained that the eight vehicles were kept there when not working at other quarries and sites. Michael Carless, for the Harthills, said when vehicles were working day in and day out at quarries and motorway sites for a couple of months at a time they would have moved on before a change of operating centre could be re-advertised.
After Mr Carless had said the Harthills had taken a chance with the excise licence offences but had put their house in order by properly licensing the vehicles as soon as they were caught out Mr Jackson said to do it once was one thing but the partners had taken the same risk three years previously when they were again convicted of excise licence offences.
Mr Carless said that the Harthills were not appealing against the penalties imposed. They were paying them off at a rate of £150 a month but if their vehicles were put off the road they would be unable to continue doing so. Decision has been reserved.