Pickfords Admit Illegal
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Running of Tractor
WHEN B.R.S. (Pickfords), Ltd., TV Stockton, on Tuesday disclosed to
the • Northern Deputy Licensing Authority, Mr. G. W. Duncan, that they had for four months illegally operated a Scottish-based vehicle from their Stockton-on-Tees base, they asked the Authority to find that, owing to " administrative difficulties," this was the only reasonable course they could have taken, and asked him to regularize the positionby granting an application to have the vehicle specified on their A licence. This was approved.
Explaining how they had got into difficulties, Mr. A. W. Balne said last year they decided to send a " useless " vehicle into their workshops for repair. A replacement was sent up from London. His clients had "'looked around" and found that they had a vehicle licensed in the Scottish area, and this was the vehicle which was the subject of the present application.
"This vehicle, licensed in Scotland, from about December has been operating in the Northern traffic area," added Mr. Balne.
He said he hoped that the Authority would not consider this in any way reprehensible. Pickfords had done this because they were in a dilemma. They did not know whether to take the vehicle off the Scottish licence, and then have no licence at all and seek a short-term licence. They could not get a temporary substitution, and if their application had been refused by the Northern L.A.. they would have had to have made an application to put the vehicle back on licence in the Scottish area. They thought it best to bring the vehicle down and operate it in the Northern area, and then make an application to put the matter right.
They had gained no great advantage because they had not changed the trailer, which was the other part of the application. They had merely changed the tractive strength.