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Drivers fined for weight breaches
11:21am Tuesday 26th August 2008
Comments (1)Seven drivers were fined a total of £2,145 for exceeding weight limits on the county's roads.
One of the drivers was spotted by a member of public breaching weight limits at Newbridge, near Standlake, as part of the nearby Neighbourhood Weight Watch Scheme.
Gary Rowland, 42, of Normandy Crescent, Oxford, was fined £350 plus £125 costs and £15 surcharge fee by Bicester Magistrates Court.
Rowland was spotted by trading standards officers breaching the 7.5-tonne weight restriction at Stadhampton.
Six other drivers from Hampshire, Plymouth, Bolton, Wales, Middlesex and Swindon were fined for breaking the restrictions over Newbridge.
Nigel Strick, head of Oxfordshire County Council's trading standards, said: "These laws are put in place for a good reason and we will do all we can to make sure they are not flouted.
"Newbridge in particular is in serious danger from structural damage caused by heavy vehicles."
The fines were handed out at Bicester Magistrates' Court Wednesday, August 13, but Oxfordshire County Council only announced them today.
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David, Wantage says...
12:19pm Tue 26 Aug 08
Matt, are you implying that OCC delayed this announcement? Did you report these incidents immediately from Bicester Magistrates' Court Wednesday 13 August, or did you simply copy this from OCC's report? Did you ascertain an explanation for OCC's delayed announcement?
These fines and the extremely low number of offenders caught hardly act as law enforcement. In fact, the cost of the damage caused by overweight vehicles is nowhere near the low fines. Make the offenders pay for the damage and they may be reluctant to reoffend and deter others.