A man has been fined after being caught taking children to and from school in an unlicensed and uninsured vehicle.
Keith Lambton, 53 of Henley Avenue, Pelton Fell in Chester-le-Street, was using the unlicenced vehicle to carry out Durham County Council home to school transport work.
As part of this, he was to collect up to five children, aged between 11 to 16 years old, from various addresses in County Durham, and take them to school, before later picking them back up to take them home.
However, although Lambton was a licensed taxi driver, he was observed by the council’s officers picking up children in an unlicensed vehicle.
Peterlee Magistrates Court heard that officers spoke to Lambton, who stated that he was aware the vehicle he was using was unlicensed.
He told officers that his fully licensed vehicle had broken down that afternoon, and he wanted to make sure that the contract was still fulfilled. In the meantime, he had submitted a new application for the vehicle he was currently using. After this, he was instructed to leave the area.
CCTV images were later obtained that showed Lambton using the same unlicensed vehicle to collect children the previous day. It was later confirmed with his insurance company, that he was also not insured to use the vehicle for these collections.
It was made clear that as part of the requirements for the ‘home to school’ contracts, the contractor must notify the local authority of non-performance if they are unable to carry out any part of the journey for any reason.
During interview, Lambton admitted that he’d used the vehicle without the correct license and that it was not correctly insured. He made clear that he realised this was a mistake, but that it was his first in all his years as a licensed driver.
Owen Cleugh, Durham County Council’s safer places manager, said: “The use of an unlicensed vehicle is not only unlawful, but also poses wider risks due to the lack of our usual safety tests, and it not being insured for this type of activity. Uninsured vehicles and journeys don’t just put the passengers at risk; they also present a potential danger to other road users.
“We carry out enforcement of our home to school contracts to ensure that the drivers and vehicles are correctly licensed as we take the safety of our children and the travelling public, very seriously. Hopefully this case demonstrates that we will take swift action against any driver without the proper license or insurance.”
Lambton was fined £280 and ordered to pay costs of £288 and a victim surcharge of £80. Altogether, he was ordered to pay £568. He was also given six penalty points on his licence.
