Vehicle recovery firm's licence to be revoked

A recovery firm will have its operating licence revoked following an inspection report.

Scorpion Engineering Ltd, which has been based in Swindon, Wiltshire, since 1986, overloaded vehicles and had "poor maintenance standards", according to the senior traffic commissioner.

Kevin Rooney wrote in his report: "I ask myself whether this is an operator I can trust to be compliant in the future. I find emphatically that I cannot. That is because of the repeated failings over a lengthy period of time, knowingly and recklessly made."

The company's director Nigel Hannon said he was told the decision on Christmas Eve and that he was appealing the ruling.

Scorpion Engineering employs 25 people and offers fleet delivery for leasing companies, 24-hour recovery services and 24-hour garage workshops.

The report stated there had been "serious breaches of undertakings, including repeated overloading of vehicles" demonstrated by the company.

Mr Rooney continued: "It is incumbent on an operator to make the most basic of checks and checking that a vehicle is fit for purpose is exactly that."

The Traffic Commissioner found that, at one point, a driver picked up a vehicle which was "100 kilos over, due to misinformation from their customer."

"The driver was relatively new and didn't know different vehicle makes and models," Mr Rooney's report stated. "The collection had taken place at 4am and the driver hadn't felt she could ring anyone to check."

The operator licence for Scorpion Engineering is due to cease on 24 January.

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