Rip hire op gets off with warning
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A West Yorkshire skip hire
f. operator, who used a vehicle
with a known brake defect when he was asked urgently to move a skip by the local authority, has escaped with a warning.
Andrew Locke and Richard Peel, trading as Skelmanthorpe Skip Hire, had been called before North Eastern Traffic Commissioner, Tom Macartney, at a Leeds disciplinary inquiry. They held a restricted licence for one vehicle.
Vehicle examiner Keith Craven said that in February the truck was given an immediate prohibition for five defects during a roadside check, which was endorsed as showing a significant maintenance failure. Maintenance was carried out by an outside contractor and records showed the vehich was inspected on an eight-weekly cycle. Thi brake problem was noted on a driver' defect report and Peel had told him the vehi cle had been taken to the contractor, whi had ordered the necessary part.
The vehicle was used subsequently ti move the skip for the council.
Peel said: "I was caught in two minds ant did not know what to do." He assured the It that nothing like this would never happel again.
Taking no action other than to issue warning, the TC said the firm had held licence since 1994 and this was the only pro hibition issued. They had an otherwisi exemplary record in what was the rougl side of the industry.
"Indeed, it is one of the best records have seen recently," he said.