LA blames roadworks on overloads
Page 19
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
• The current batch of roadworks going on up and down the country had been caused by overloaded lorries, rather than the poor construction of the roads.
This was said by West Midland Licensing Authority John Mervyn Pugh, when Redditchbased Seagull Foods sought to add a vehicle to its nine-vehicle licence.
The LA had been considering taking action against the company's licence, after adjourning the proceedings in March. He felt that Deputy Licensing Authority Roger Seymour might have been deliberately hoodwinked in April 1989, when pending prosecutions for overloading and drivers' hours and records offences were not disclosed at a disciplinary inquiry in April 1989 (CM 5-11 April 1989).
For the company, John Watts said that as they had been prosecutions brought by the Area, he had assumed that the circumstances would be before the DLA. There had been no intention to withhold in
kik-A
formation or any intent to deceive the authority.
Director Robert Constantine said that an ex-police officer now looked after the tachograph charts. He had initially interviewed drivers individually if there were any problems, and the situation now appeared to be under control.
As far as weight was concerned, the company had spent 211,000 on installing its own weighbridge, which gave the gross weight and a breakdown of the weight on each axle.
Taking no action, and granting the additional vehicle, Mervyn Pugh said that the company had shown a degree of responsibility. Overloaded vehicles were a danger to the public. If there was another overloading offence, the company's licence would be in serious danger.