Regular and serious tacho offences
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• Manchester
based John Demsey, trading as Demtrans, and three of his drivers, have been ordered to pay fines and costs totalling £3,600 after admitting a series of drivers' hours offences.
Appearing before Trafford magistrates, Demsey pleaded guilty to 23 offences of permitting the drivers to drive excessive hours and to take insufficient rest and breaks. He was fined £2,500 with £150 costs. Driver Robin Coupe of New Mills was tined £300 with £75 costs for two offences of taking insufficient daily rest and two offences of exceeding the daily driving limit. Driver Gareth Turner of Hyde, near Stockport was fined £200 with £100 costs for 10 offences of exceeding fourand-a-half hours driving without taking the required break; three offences of exceeding the daily driving limit and one offence of taking insufficient daily rest. Driver Anthony Thatcher of Stockport was fined £200 with £75 costs for four four-and-a-half hour offences and one of exceeding the daily driving limit.
Prosecuting for the Department of Transport, John Heaton said there was a pattern of regular and serious offending. It came to light when Coupe was stopped in a road check in Kent last March.
The magistrates said they took a very serious view of the offences. They considered that Demsey had known what was going on and had effectively condoned the offences.