A monsoon-style storm flooded a truck with several inches of rainwater during transit, and caused it to be overloaded, Solihull Magistrates were told. The 7.5-tonne truck was carrying two skips at the time for Need-A-Skip Ltd of Four Oaks, Sutton Coldfield, near Birmingham, when rain "lashed down" on 11 January this year, Robert Rose, the company's general manager, said.
"It filled the truck with about five or six inches of rainwater, and this increased the truck's load, causing the 5.4% [410kg] overload," he continued. "It was like a monsoon. It was an unusual situation. The load appeared normal before the journey. The vehicle would have been legally loaded if the weather had been bright and dry." Rose was speaking in mitigation after the company had admitted the overloading offence.
Dominic Green, prosecuting for Vosa, said the offence came to light during a routine inspection off the M5 at Quinton, near Birmingham. He said the company had a previous conviction for an 
overloading offence. One of the magistrates said that in view of the unusual circumstances, and the fact that the company had admitted the offence, the fine would only be £200 with £209 costs.