Do-it-yourself man can't do it himself
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A SUFFOLK coach operator who carried out his own maintenance despite not having the necessary skill was told he must have work carried out by a commercial garage if he wants to stay in business.
Gerald Noel Bluett, proprietor of G. N, Bluett (Coach Hire) of Bury St Edmunds, appeared before the Eastern Area Traffic Commissioners last week.
Vehicle examiner Ronald Willett told the Commissioners that he had visited Bluett's premises three times in September and October last year. Bluett's three coaches had 42 defects between them, and two of the coaches, a Bedford VAL and a Ford, received immediate PSV 71s.
Among the defects found were cross-ply and radial tyres on the same axle, inoperative stop-light and indicator, missing fuel cap, loose engine mountings, heavy oil leak onto the exhaust and a cracked leaf spring that had been repaired by welding.
The vehicle examiner said that the premises themselves were satisfactory but needed clearing up. Mr Bluett offered explanations for some of the defects in his vehicles. He told the chairman of the Commissioners, Kenneth Peter, that a fuel cap had been on order for a week and that a cross-ply tyre had been put on that same morning in error by a driver in a hurry. Mr Bluett said some of his problems had arisen through a mechanic, who had since left him, using the premises for car repairs. Although widely experienced, Mr Bluett was not qualified as a fitter but had since attempted to maintain the coaches himself.
When pressed by Mr Peter, the vehicle examiner said that Mr Bluett was not competent to do this and was too "easy going."
Representing Mr Bluett, Michael Gotelee produced a set of photographs which showed the enormous effort made to clear his yard up. He also told the Commissioners that Mr Bluett would make arrangements for Burrells of Ipswich, a commercial garage, to make monthly inspections of the coaches and carry out any repairs they found necessary, no matter how small.
Announcing his decision, Kenneth Peter said: "There is no doubt in our minds that Mr Bluett is not fully competent to maintain a fleet of psvs." This was due to "ignorance and recklessness rather than negligence."
This was the second public sitting that Mr Bluett had been called to, but Mr Peter said he was "reluctant to deprive a man of his livelihood."
He therefore took no action against Mr Bluett's psv licences on the condition that he could produce a maintenance contract, as thorough as the one described by Mr Gotelee, with the commercial garage within ten days.
In addition to this, the three coaches and the premises were to be inspected on June 30 to check that matters were better.