Car transporter firm loses appeal
Page 42
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
ACOVENTRY car transporter firm, fined £3 by magistrates for permitting a driver to work without proper rest hours, was on Wednesday ordered to pay the costs of an unsuccessful High Court appeal against the conviction.
It was the second appeal by the company, Progressive Deliveries Ltd., of Torrington Avenue, Coventry, against the decision of Coventry magistrates. Their first was dismissed by the Recorder of Coventry and on Wednesday the Queen's Bench Divisional Court upheld the Recorder's ruling.
Lord Parker (the Lord Chief Justice) said it was "an extremely thin" case against the company. But there was some evidence that the driver, Mr. Alfred Stevens, had been allowed to exceed permitted hours of work. He started work at 7 a.m. and drove a car-transporter from Birmingham to London, Luton and back, finishing at 10.30 p.m. He had had three half-hour breaks. The summons arose because he had driven without at least 10 consecutive hours of rest in the 24 hours from when he started work.