A garage owner been ordered to pay prosecution costs of £14,000 after being convicted of a string of health and safety offences.
Gerwyn Brian Charles Evans, who owns Park Service Station, in Bedwellty Road, in Cefn Fforest, received a two year conditional discharge after being found guilty after a four day trial at Caerphilly and Abertillery Magistrates’ Courts.
Evans was found guilty of ten offences under the Health and Safety at Work Act after officials found he was storing petrol in an underground storage tank after it failed a tank test.
The court heard that between November 22, 2007, and March 28 last year Evans used the tank despite receiving specific safety instructions not to do so from Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Trading Standards.
Furthermore Evans received deliveries of petroleum spirit into a second unlicensed tank, which had been out of use for more than 12 months and had not been tested.
In evidence the court was told of occasions when the tanks used to store petroleum spirit were unlocked and incorrectly labelled. The authenticity of site records was also brought into question during the proceedings.
When delivering his verdict District Judge Martin Brown said that in his view Evans lost credibility for the obstinate way he stood his ground regarding the use of the tanks and that for some of the offences he had no real defence.
Speaking after the hearing Councillor Lyn Ackerman welcomed the result of the prosecution.
She said: “A major concern associated with the storage and dispensing of petrol is the risk of fire and explosion.
“Petrol is a dangerous substance, which is why stringent safety measures are in place for the protection of the public. Those who put residents’ health and safety at risk must be taken to task.”