Tacho charges cost brothers £2,100
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• Two brothers who falsified tachograph charts on Continental journeys were ordered to pay £2,700 in fines and costs when they appeared before the Mold, North Wales magistrates.
Steven Owen, of Caerwys, Mold, admitted eight offences of falsifying charts and three of exceeding the drivers' hours limits. His brother, Peter Owen, admitted six offences of falsification and one of taking insufficient weekly rest.
Allegations that their father, Joseph Owen, had aided and abetted the falsification of the charts were dropped by the prosecution.
Sarah Brown, prosecuting, said that an examination of the tacho
graph charts completed by the brothers showed gaps and discrepancies in mileages They had not primarily recorded time spent on ferry crossings from Europe, harbour to harbour.
Defending, Jonathan Lawton said that there was a widespread misunderstanding about the need to keep charts in the tachograph during ferry crossings. There was no possibility that anyone could have been misled, as according to the charts the vehicle was in Cherbourg one minute and in Dover the next. Both men now understood the position and the offences were unlikely to be repeated.
Steven Owen was fined a total of £1,000 and Peter Owen a totai of .C1,500. They were each ordered to pay £100 towards costs.