Northern Ireland-based M&S Freight Forwarding and one of the company's drivers have been ordered to pay £3,885 for overloading. The company of Keady, County Armagh, admitted the offence driver Vincent Macklin of Crossmaglen was convicted in his absence by the Wrexham magistrates.
The court was told that Macklin's 2+3 artic had been stopped in a check at Dalar Hir, Anglesey. When weighed it was found that the GVW of the tractor unit of 18,000kg, had been exceeded by 2,040kg, some 11%.
Macklin was issued with a prohibition and arranged with his employers for a three-axled tractor unit to come and take the trailer to Holyhead Port.
The traffic examiner saw the three-axled tractor arrive and watched as it was connected to the trailer she then cleared the prohibition. Soon after leaving the site the traffic examiner received a phone call from a senior vehicle examiner to say he was driving behind the vehicle, a 2+3 artic, on the A55. It was directed to the Ewloe weighbridge where it was weighed again with the same results.
When interviewed and asked why he had reconnected the trailer and carried on with his journey, Macklin said he was going to have part of the cargo taken off at Oswestry as it could not be taken off at the docks at Holyhead. The magistrates fined the company £3,000 with £370 costs and Macklin £250 with £265 costs.
The serious view the magistrates took of the offence was reflected by the penalty
they imposed.
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