A company has been ordered to pay more than £10,000 in fines and costs after pleading guilty to erecting scaffolding without a licence.
Local news has reported that Derby Access Scaffolding Ltd, of Church Lane, Barrow on Trent, Derby, pleaded guilty at Leicester Magistrates Court to 14 offences committed between September 2 2015 and February 16 2016.
The court was told that the company was erecting or retaining scaffolding at 33 Hamilton Street, Leicester, without a licence issued by Leicester City Council on September 3 2015, September 23 2015, September 30 2015, October 6 2015, October 30 2015 and November 9 2015, at 9 Chandos Street, Leicester on February 12 2016, at Loseby Lane on February 16 2016 and Loseby Lane on February 15 2016 and February 16 2016.
Failing to comply with licence conditions by permitting scaffolding to be erected at 9 Chandos Street, Leicester without a toe-board, hand-rail of reflectorised down-pipes on January 21 2016, the same offence committed at the junction of Loseby Lane and Guildhall Lane on February 1 2016, and willful obstruction of Loseby Lane on February 15 2016.
John Moss, for Leicester City Council said that the council must allow scaffolding to be put up unless it took the view that it would obstruct the highway, but needed to be covered by a licence which cost £35.
“A retrospective licence can be obtained for £100 and it is also possible to apply on-line for a £35 licence.”
Guy Carter for Derby Access Scaffolding, told the court that the company had worked perfectly for the past nine years.
“There were no problems until this point in time when a valued member of staff went on long-term sickness leave, resulting in chaos.
“The director has been put under a great deal of stress.”
He said that, in the case of failing to provide toe-boards, hand-rails or reflectorising down-pipes, the scaffolding, once erected, was used by builders who might adjust them or remove them to suit the particular work they were doing and then not replace them afterwards.