Bath death crash truck brakes 'never touched' by mechanic, court hears.

A mechanic who carried out safety checks on a tipper truck which killed four people "never touched a brake on the crash lorry", a court has heard.

Mitzi Steady, four, Robert Parker, 59, Philip Allen, 52, and Stephen Vaughan, 34, died in the crash in Bath in 2015.

The court heard Peter Wood had told officers the lorries were checked every six weeks but nothing was recorded.

Driver Phillip Potter, 20, denies causing the deaths by dangerous and careless driving.

His boss at Grittenham Haulage Ltd, Matthew Gordon, also denies 14 offences, while Mr Wood denies four charges.

Mr Wood was employed to carry out inspections on the trucks.

Bristol Crown Court has heard that the final safety check on the vehicle had been in January 2015, weeks before the crash in February, when he deemed it safe to drive.

On Friday, the court heard Mr Wood had told officers the paperwork at the truck firm was "awful".

In his police interview, the 55-year-old said the lorries were checked every six weeks but nothing was recorded.

He said after the checks he would advise the manager Mr Gordon, who was responsible for the lorries, of what needed to be done

"I've never touched a brake on the crash lorry," Mr Wood told Det Const Wayne Sumpshon in July 2015.

The lorry hit several pedestrians, including Mitzi, from Bath, and a car containing Mr Allen and Mr Vaughan, both from Swansea, and Mr Parker, from Cwmbran, south Wales.

Mr Potter, of Dauntsey, Wiltshire, is also charged with causing serious injuries to Karla Brennan and Margaret Rogers - Mitzi's grandmother - by dangerous driving.

He denies a total of 10 charges against him.

Mr Gordon, 30, also of Dauntsey, denies 14 charges against him, while Mr Wood, 55, from Brinkworth, Wiltshire, denies the four charges against him. The trial continues.