£100 fine for Parks driver
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DELAYS to a coach returning from Italy led to an hours offence and a Parks of Hamilton driver being fined £100 by Rotherham Magistrates on Monday this week.
Two drivers, George Meecham and Brian Gordon, were each charged with exceeding nine hours driving in a day, exceeding four hours continuous driving, and making a tachograph record which did not comply with the regulations. The company was charged with permitting the drivers' offences.
Mr Gordon pleaded guilty to the hours offences, and the prosecution withdrew the records offence against him. The cases against the company and Mr Meecham were adjourned as they had not acknowleged the summonses.
For the prosecution, it was said the coach had been stopped in an organised road check when it was returning to South Shields from Northern Italy. There were two drivers on the coach, Mr Gordon and Mr Meecham. There was no bunk in the vehicle, and the second driver was resting on a double seat. The hours offences were revealed by the tachograph chart. The tachograph was not being used correctly as the second man position was not in operation.
Mr Gordon said that they had been delayed for six hours on the Continent on the return journey as they had taken a wrong turning and had to make alternative arrangements for the ferry crossing. Another driver was supposed to meet the coach in London to take it to South Shields, but because they were so late he had taken another coach. When they contacted Park's traffic office, they were told that the relief driver had taken the wrong coach and were instructed to drive the coach to South Shields.
Fining Mr Gordon £100, the magistrates said they had taken the difficulties into consideration.