Dangerous vehicle ban on licence
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• A vehicle found to be seriously defective has been banned from being specified on any licence for six months by West Midland LA John Mervyn Pugh.
The vehicle, operated by William Pointon, of Hartshill, Nuneaton was given an immediate prohibition after the compressor was found to be inoperative and its air tanks contaminated with oil and water. Other defects included a disconnected parking brake and throttle linkage tied with string.
Pointon told the LA that the vehicle was being driven by his son when the brakes locked on at a roundabout in Swindon. His son disconnected the handbrake to drive the vehicle 40 yards to his brother's yard. However, he lost all the air and had to reverse into a wall. Asked how the vehicle had got into such a condition, Pointon said there had been a little bit of exaggeration. He had thought the vehicle was safe enough. It had not left the yard in that condition; it was impossible to tell when a compressor was going to stop working.
Pointon added that his maintenance record had been pretty good until this incident. His mechanic had gone off with angina and the vehicles were now inspected every six weeks by a commercial garage. His other vehicle had gone through its annual test in September.
Mervyn Pugh commented that the vehicles had not been kept safe but Pointon said he had tried his best. The vehicles were his and his son's livelihood.
Cutting the authorisation on the licence from two vehicles to one, Mervyn Pugh said he was allowing Pointon to continue but on a very limited basis. The prohibited vehicle was not to be specified on any licence for six months and he wanted the other vehicle to be put through a fresh annual test. Pointon 's licence would be terminated at the end of January and the renewal would be considered at a further public inquiry.
Warning that Pointon was very lucky to be allowed to continue, Mervyn Pugh said it was up to him to get his house in order by the end of January.