Another wheel mystery
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• Abbey Hill . Vehicle Services and one of its drivers were given an absolute discharge when they appeared before the Ampthill Magistrates to answer charges arising out of the loss of a pair of wheels from a car transporter on the Ml.
The company and driver, Gary Fletcher of Doncaster, pleaded guilty to charges of using a vehicle with dangerous parts.
For the prosecution, it was said that on 12 December the offside wheels on the rear leading axle of the semi-trailer of the articulated car transporter driven by Fletcher became detached on the MI. One wheel crossed the central reservation and hit a car travelling in the opposite direction.
Fletcher gave evidence that he had checked his vehicle before setting out, and there had been nothing to indicate that there was any problem with the wheels. Neither had he noticed anything untoward during the course of the journey prior to the incident.
David Simons, Abbey Hill's Luton depot fleet engineer, said he had been called out to the vehicle following the incident. He had found no sign of anything wrong with the wheelnuts. However, he had found evidence of fatigue fractures on three of the bolts. He did not believe the driver could have been aware of the problem.
Abbey Hill had an arangement with ATS to check over the wheels of all of its vehicles every Saturday. Defending, Johathan Lawton said that Fletcher was entirely blameless. Abbey Hill itself had acknowledged the necessary high duty of care by employing one of the best known expert tyre companies to carry out extremely regular checks. Given the circumstances, it was clearly one of those cases of wheel loss that were currently being contemplated by various highly qualified engineers. The magistrates ordered both Abbey Hill and Fletcher to pay £10.25 costs.