Partners in removals firm disqualified for five years23 January 2014

The owners of an Eastbourne removals firm, S&J Transport, have been banned from operating for five years after the regulator heard they had committed a string of offences and concluded they had failed to show consideration for the law, for other road users and for local residents.

At an enquiry on 16 January, Nicholas Denton, traffic commissioner for London and the South East, told Shaun Manser and Claire Gordon they would be disqualified from operating HGVs for five years, and said both would need to fundamentally change their attitude towards safety standards before re-entering the industry.

The commissioner revoked the operator's licence, which allowed them to run three vehicles, with immediate effect.

The enquiry heard that Manser had been convicted twice for driving without a licence. One of the drivers had also been prosecuted for driving without taking sufficient rest time, and the regular had not been notified of either offence.

The commissioner was told that vehicles had been driven out of the country illegally on eight occasions – the partnership held a licence allowing operations only within the UK. Vehicles had also been issued with prohibition notices for defects and Manser had driven a vehicle without a valid MOT. Sussex Police said a vehicle had been parked in a residential area on numerous occasions, when the operator's licence required it to be parked at the authorised operating centre.

Driving without a licence, operating a vehicle without a valid MOT and operating a vehicle abroad without the correct licence are all classed as most serious infringements under EU regulations.

The commissioner said Manser showed "clear contempt for the law". Manser was disqualified from acting as a transport manager for any operation until January 2019.

Manser and Gordon did not attend the hearing.

Author
Laura Cork

Related Companies
Department for Transport

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