LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

It was pouring with rain and the vehicle was dirty and oily, but I was completely enveloped in the job and taking an inordinately long time over the inspection.

The driver however had seen it all before and made no bones about his dissatisfaction at delayed in a storm. He was storming. In fact the whole encounter could have been a social disaster but for the interesting, but I suspect, slightly vulgar witticisms of the driver. I can still recall what he said he'd like to do with the dipstick but fortunately as I say, it could not be totally withdrawn from the tanker.

Bedfordshire

At Bedford Magistrates' Court on 25th April, 1978, J.F. Warren and J.G. Hunt trading as Blue Circle APL Cars at 18A, St John's Street, Bedford, were each fined a total of £75 plus £15.55 costs for 6 offences, being contraventions of the PetroleumSpiri t (Motor Vehicles etc.) Regulations 1929.

Unmarked containers of petroleum-spirit were being stored in an unventilated upstairs taxi-operators' control office, in close proximity to a lighted paraffin heater. Three people normally worked in this office, which under these circumstances formed an extremely hazardous situation.

Essex

Keeping On 9th February 1978, at Thurrock Magistrates Court, Benjamin Grazier, of Tilbury, was charged with the following offences, contrary to Section 33(1)(c) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.

(1) Failing to take reasonable precautions to prevent a fire being so near a vessel in which petroleumspirit is kept as to be dangerous in contravention of Regulation 9 of the Petroleum-Spirit (Motor Vehicles etc) Regulations 1929. (3) Kept petroleum-spirit otherwise than in metal containers in contravention of Regulation 2 of the Petroleum-Spirit (Motor Vehicles etc.) Regulations 1929.

(4) Kept petroleum-spirit in a vessel exceeding 2 gallons capacity in contravention of Regulation 7 of the Petroleum-Spirit (Motor Vehicles etc.) Regulations 1929. (5) Kept petroleum-spirit in a vessel which was not marked "petroleum-spirit" and "highly inflammable" in contravention of Regulation 4 of the Petroleum-Spirit (Motor Vehicles etc) Act 1929.

The defendant was found guilty on all five charges, and fines totalling £210 were imposed by the Magistrates with an advocates fee of £20.

The charges arose .from the storage of 32 gallons of petrol in 5 gallon drums which Mr Grazier had stored because of the "Go Slow" of the oil companies" drivers, and came to light when a fire was caused when an employee was tipping petrol from a 5 gallon drum into the tank of a car in the defendants's workshop within 5ft. of a tortoise stove.

The Magistrates ordered the petrol and containers to be forfeited.

GREATER LONDON COUNCIL

(2) Carried on an operation involving the exposure of petroleum-spirit in the neighbourhood of a fire in contravention of Regulation 10 of the Petroleum-Spirit (Motor Vehicle etc) Regulations 1929.

At Highgate Magistrates' Court a licensee was fined a total of £900 with £50 oosts for contraventions of a licence condition requiring storage tanks to be kept securely closed. A fine of £400 was imposed for the infringement relating 50