|
Firm fined over Bristol limo fire
A company has been prosecuted after a stretch limousine caught fire while carrying a party of young friends and the group's ordeal was highlighted in the Bristol Post.
Go-Stretch was ordered to pay a total of £5,190 in fines, costs and victim surcharge by North Avon magistrates in a case brought by the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA).
The 70-year-old driver of the car, Robert Blight, was also fined £1,555 and ordered to pay £365 in costs and surcharge.
Neither Scott or Julie Demaret, directors of Go-Stretch, nor Mr Blight appeared at the court in Yate but the magistrates agreed to proceed in their absence and found the case against the company and the driver proved.
Richard Locke, prosecuting for VOSA, said all three had refused to attend interviews and claimed Mr and Mrs Demaret had led the agency a "merry dance" as it tried to carry out its investigation, in order to "create confusion".
He said the limousine had been hired by Ellie Hayes, of Yate, to help celebrate her 21st birthday in April last year.
She and 12 friends paid £180 to be picked up in Gloucester Road and taken to Clifton.
But when they were on Circular Road on the Downs, the car caught fire.
Mr Locke said: "No one was injured in the incident. The vehicle was evacuated and the fire service was called."
But the magistrates were told the firefighters had to let the limo burn out after discovering it was powered by liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).
Mr Locke said VOSA was alerted to the incident after a report about the friends' ruined night out appeared in the Bristol Post.
In our report, Mr Demaret was described as company director of Go-Stretch and he was quoted as saying the vehicle was worth £74,000.
Mr Locke said VOSA's dealings with Caldicot-based Go-Stretch led to various denials from the Demarets that they were involved.
But he told the court Ms Hayes had entered into a contract with Go-Stretch to hire the vehicle, although she had to pay her cheque to Chauffeur4You, and Mr Blight had been driving the limo on the night of the fire.
The court also heard the car was capable of carrying enough people to be classed as a passenger service vehicle (PSV) – it was advertised as a vehicle that could carry 14 passengers – and was being hired for reward.
Both Go-Stretch and Mr Blight, also of Caldicot, were fined for a series of offences, including having no operator's licence, no certificate of initial fitness, no test certificate, no recording equipment such as a tachograph and no insurance.
Mr Blight was also prosecuted for carrying more passengers than the number of seats available and failing to produce his licence and driver's card. As well as the fines, he was given six penalty points.
In the Bristol Post's report in April, the terrified friends being carried in the limo told how they had to jump out of the car when smoke began streaming from the driver's compartment.
They then looked on in horror as flames and thick black smoke billowed from the vehicle and windows smashed in the intense heat.
Sian Barnett, 20, of Horfield, said they were choking on the smoke and some people became ill. She also said some of the friends had experienced health problems after the blaze.
_________________
IDFIMH
|
Login
Register
FAQ
