Licence cut after warning
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• A Northants tipper operator, who picked up several prohibition notices after deciding not to follow advice given in a warning letter, has had his licence reduced to the three vehicles he has is possession.
Denis Enright, trading as D&M Tipper Hire, of Maiciford, near Towcester, had been called before Eastern Traffic Commissioner Brigadier Compton Boyd because of concerns over his vehicle maintenance. He held a licence authorising four vehicles.
Vehicle examiner David Raymond said two immediate prohibitions had been placed on Enright's vehicles in April and June, one of which was endorsed as showing a significant maintenance failure. Maintenance investigations in 1994 and 1995 had shown that vehicles were being inspected outside with no protection from the elements. As a result, Enright was sent a ow4
kit
warning letter in May 1995 recommending that the inspections be contracted out to an outside firm, said Raymond. A recent investigation had revealed that the advice had not been followed, but Enright had said a workshop was planned.
The commissioner commented that Enright had written in June 1995 saying the same thing.
Raymond said a visit in September had revealed workshop facilities were almost completed. The one vehicle examined had been in a satisfactory condition. He felt that the prohibition history and the initial failure rate at annual test reflected the quality of the inspections being carried out.
Enright said he had been in the industry for 15 years and this was the first time there had been any problems. He felt his own facilities were better than those of the contractor it had been suggested he used. He said drivers had been using duplicate books for purposes other than for reporting defects For Enright, Fred Randle pointed out there had been no prohibitions issued until this year.
Cutting the licence, Brigadier Boyd told Enright he was "marking his card". Ile said there was no reasonable excuse for the prohibitions, although there was no evidence that they were caused by the poor facilities.