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Four firms in 12
Page 7
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• by Dominic Perry Jim Hay, the man behind failed hauliers John Adams, Eye Plc and Ditchfield Transport, has seen another of his companies, Finlay Guy, go into liquidation— the fourth in just 12 months.
Finlay Guy offered to take over where Eye Plc left off when that ceased trading in August this year. Shortly afterwards Hay strenuously denied that he had any part in the running of Finlay Guy despite Commercial Motor's revelation that his mother-in-law was a director of the Haddington-based company (CM16-23 August 2001).
Despite his initial denial of links between the two firms he recently admitted that he and Ills wife were in charge when the company appeared before Scottish Deputy Traffic Comm
issioner Richard Macfarlane at an Edinburgh public inquiry.
The firm was seeking a Scottish 0-licence for 15 vehicles and 20 trailers based at Haddington, East Lothian, and eight vehicles and 10 trailers based at Linlithgow after admitting at the inquiry operating without licences for several months. It is expected to drop the application following the voluntary liquidation.
In fact, the inquiry heard how one Finlay Guy truck was stopped by Lothian and Borders Police and found to be displaying an expired John Adams licence disc; in addition, three others were stopped without discs.
Although Finlay Guy denied deliberately running with an expired John Adams disc, a former Finlay Guy driver has con
firmed to CM that his truck had been without a licence for over a year and had used a John Adams disc.
The driver, who declined to be Identified, said that staff at the company's Haddington depot were devastated by the closure: "Finlay Guy used to have a well respected name in the transport business and then Hazel and Jim Hay came along.
"I've been here 30 years and this has come like a death to me. I've not been able to think straight because this has been my life."
John Adams and Sons collapsed back in May owing hauliers thousands of pounds. This was succeeded by Eye Plc which promised to pay its subcontractors within 14 days and change an industry "notorious for slow payment, a lack of respect and trust." This closed in August, again with substantial debts.
Eileen Blackburn, of accountants HLB Kidsens, has been appointed as the provisional liquidator. Despite repeated attempts we were unable to contact the Hays,