Booze cruise buses busted
Page 6
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
• Two coach operators have been fined for dangerously overloading their vehicles by as much as a third with passengers' duty-free beer.
Three coaches were recently found to be in excess of their permitted gross, first and second axle weights, because of duty-free beer being carried in their luggage lockers. The operators and three of their drivers were ordered to pay fines and costs totalling 22,325 by the Faversham Magistrates.
Charles Leslie and Charles Peter Ellerby, trading as Ellerby's Coaches, of Tow Law, Bishop Auckland, and drivers William Dawson and Keith Bainbridge, admitted offences in respect of two Volvo coaches. The partners were fined a total of 21,200, with 250 costs, and the drivers 2150 each.
John Stephen Midgeley, trading as Brandon Coaches of Leeds, and driver James Bolton, admitted offences in relation to a Van Hool singledecker. Midgeley was fined 2600, with 225 costs, and Bolton 2150.
Richard Allen, prosecuting for the South Eastern Traffic Area, said the coaches had been stopped and weighed at the dynamic axle weigher at Boughton on 28 November. The Volvo driven by Dawson had a first axle overload of 28%, a second axle overload of 31.3% and a gross overload of 33.3%. The coach driven by Bainbridge had a first axle overload of 25.1%, a second axle overload of 12.1%, and a gross overload of 17%. The Van Hool had a first axle overload of 17.3%, a second axle overload of 13% and a gross overload of 14.6%.
In a letter to the court, Ellerby's had said that they had undertaken two shopping trips to Boulogne. The passengers had purchased the full dutyfree allowance of eight cases of beer each. The drivers had agreed to carry it in the luggage lockers without realising that the amount of beer would have made the coaches overweight. When they had found the coaches were overweight, the beer had been taken off and had been brought back to Durham by other transport For the future, passengers would be limited to only one case of beer each.
Dawson had written to say that when he had been directed to the weighbridge he had found another 12 coaches there, all of which had been overweight.
Midgeley had written to say that at the time his coach was being used by another operator. In future, drivers would be informed of the dangers of overloading and passengers The crisis of coaches running over their legal load weight with duly-free goods was first highlighted in Commercial Motor 31 March-6 April.
would not be allowed to carry the full duty-free allowance.
Bolton had written to say that the passengers had had three cases of beer each, which he had equated with luggage. He had been surprised when he was pulled in and weighed, as he had never known public service vehicles to be weighed before.