A new Traffic Commissioner has been appointed for the Eastern Traffic Area. Barrister Richard Turfitt, 37, replaces Geoffrey Simms, who retired last year. He will take up his new role on 1 May. Turfitt was previously head of the Health & Safety Executive's (HSE) litigation and enforcement advisory team based in London. He was also legal adviser to the statutory inquiry - under the chairmanship of Lord Newton - into the circumstances surrounding the Buncefield, Herts, oil terminal explosion.
Senior TC Philip Brown says: "I am delighted that the recent recruitment competition has resulted in someone of Richard's experience and calibre joining our team of regional Traffic Commissioners. "It is an important role and one in which I am sure Richard will excel." Turfitt was brought up in rural Cornwall, but currently lives in Kingston, Surrey, where he is a magistrate. Traffic Commissioners are appointed by the secretary of state for transport.