Northern Ireland O-licences revoked in illegal fuel clampdown

Northern Ireland’s Department of the Environment (DoE) has announced it has revoked the operator licences of fleets found to be using laundered fuel.

Three O-licences have now been revoked “for the illegal use of fuel and other infringements under the Goods Vehicle (Licensing of Operators) Act (Northern Ireland) 2010”; and the owners of the companies in question were also disqualified from holding or applying for an O-licence for between three and five years.

The decision followed public inquiries held by the Transport Regulation Unit (TRU), a recently formed body that mirrors the role of the independent traffic commissioners in England, Wales and Scotland.

DoE added that the TRU was also “considering the licences of nearly 30 other operators using tachograph interrupter devices, and a range of other illegal practices to gain competitive advantage. These also include 14 cases involving the illegal use of fuel.”

Donald Armstrong, head of the TRU, said: “There can be no place within the freight industry for the practices employed by these operators. It is completely unacceptable that people break the law to gain competitive advantage over those who abide by the rules. It will not be tolerated and must be discouraged. That is why we have introduced these powers and will continue to use them.”

Environment minister Mark H Durkan said: “The majority of goods vehicle operators work within the law. These decisions reinforce the clear message to any operator, tempted to indulge in wrong practices, including the illegal use of fuel, to think again.”

The Freight Transport Association said it backed the DoE, Transport Regulation Unit, Police Service of Northern Ireland and HM Revenue & Customs in their pursuit of operators using illegal fuel.

Policy and membership relations manager for Northern Ireland, Seamus Leheny, said: “FTA is delighted at the DoE’s decision as we believe operator licence revocation is the only appropriate response in these circumstances.  This type of illegal activity is destroying lawful and fair competition in the transport sector.

“Such operators cannot be considered as of good repute, and should have their road haulage licence revoked. The potential rewards for operators using laundered fuel are so substantial, that fines or imprisonment alone are not a sufficient deterrent, these operators must also be disqualified from trading as licensed transport operators Members of the FTA welcome this action as illegal operators often undercut them on prices thus depriving legitimate companies of revenue and subsequently jobs.”

The news follows reports earlier in the year that more than half of hauliers in Northern Ireland could be using illegal diesel to fill their tanks, according to then-environment minister Alex Attwood. Evidence suggested that fuel laundering seemed largely to be taking place in the south Armagh area close to the border with the Republic of Ireland; and regional development minister Danny Kennedy warned that the money generated from such activity would ultimately find its way into the pockets of republican paramilitaries.

Innocent people in border areas were “living in fear” as a result of the operation, he said, claiming: “It was put to me frankly and starkly… that people are dumping diesel where once they dumped bodies.”