A NATIONAL plant hire operator has been ordered to pay more than £800,000 after being found guilty of moving an abnormal load without proper notification.
As part of Operation Nightstare, West Midlands Police’s Commercial Vehicle Unit, in partnership with road safety teams, target companies who travel through the region in vehicles with overweight unsafe loads.
In March 2024 during a Multi Agency Road Safety Operation (MARSO) at the NEC near the M42, officers stopped a heavy goods vehicle transporting a large excavator and associated plant equipment.
A movement notification had been submitted by the plant hire operator, but the vehicle was travelling on a different axle than we had been told about.
This affected the vehicle’s weight distribution, and gross weight – which meant the notification was invalid.
The lorry was examined and found to be significantly overweight, as well as longer and wider than allowed.
Because of the change from the notification, no additional safeguarding measures could be put in place to protect road users from the risks of such an oversized and heavy load.
Following an investigation by the Commercial Vehicle Unit, officers worked with the Police Led Prosecution team’s experienced solicitors who specialise in handling complex road safety, to prosecute L Lynch Plant Hire and Haulage Ltd.
The Hertfordshire-based company was convicted of three separate offences at court and fined £800,000.
It was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £2,000 and costs of £130.
Superintendent Gareth Mason, head of roads policing for West Midlands Police, said: “Road safety is a priority for West Midlands Police and this case sends a clear message: if you breach abnormal load legislation and put the public at risk, we will take action.
“When firms don’t follow proper procedures, it’s not just a technicality – it’s a serious safety risk.
“That’s why we work closely with partner agencies to carry out targeted enforcement operations, educate industry partners, and prosecute offenders where necessary , as the consequences of getting it wrong can be catastrophic.”
Anyone wishing to report national concerns about abnormal loads or similar road safety issues anonymously can contact the team directly via email at: [email protected]
