News

A demolition firm appearing at its third public inquiry has had its licence cut from seven vehicles to six for a period of three months and a total suspension for a three-day period. The action against Stoke-on-Trent-based Potteries Demolition was for a combination of maintenance problems and using a vehicle without a valid test certificate. The company had been called before West Midland Deputy Commissioner Lester Maddrell. It holds a licence for seven vehicles and 10 trailers. It had appeared  at previous public inquiries in 1997 and 1998, with the licence being curtailed on both occasions.

Vehicle examiner Andrew Smith said that he examined three vehicles in November and issued an immediate prohibition and a defect notice. Stated inspection periods had been extended, on one occasion to 22 weeks. There was no forward-planning system or written driver defect reporting system. Of three vehicles presented for annual test, two failed on first presentation. The test certificate of one vehicle had expired at the end of April 2007. Managing director and transport manager Michael Edwards Senior said that the use of the vehicle with the expired test certificate had been a mistake. It was a second hand vehicle which they had bought thinking it had 12 months MoT, but clearly it hadn't.

The vehicle that had gone 22 weeks between inspections had been parked up. The drivers had been reporting defects verbally since it was such a close-knit firm. That had been put into order  now as had the forward planning. The vehicles were all comparatively new. The company was in its 98th year. Asked why vehicles had gone too long between inspections, Edwards said he had no excuse. The DTC could rest assured that everything was in order now. The intention was to get a new transport manager within two months. The DTC said that most operators who came before their third public inquiry ended up without a licence, but he took into account the fact that the last public inquiry was 10 years ago.

Revocation an option

The DTC said that if there had more prohibitions, an 'S' marked prohibition, or any convictions, the licence would have been revoked.