Five testing staff at Yeovil Audi banned for gross negligence

Owner and five testers handed testing ban for failing to test diesel emissions

Five testing staff at Yeovil Audi banned for gross negligence
Image: Bigstock.

A garage owner and five MOT testers in Yeovil have been given 28 day testing bans after the DVSA found that they had illegally failed to test diesel vehicle emissions.

During a routine visit in April, DVSA staff found that testers at Yeovil Audi continued to pass diesel vehicles while their emissions testing equipment was broken.

Missing emissions reports for completed MOTs led to the revelation that emissions testing equipment had not been on site since 25 March 2017.

The agency visited again in May where it interviewed members of staff.

Improperly tested

It emerged that during a nine day period, testers at the garage had carried out MOT tests on 49 diesel vehicles without doing emissions checks, meaning that the vehicles were not properly tested.

The testers at Yeovil Audi were found to be grossly negligent in issuing MOT pass certificates without undertaking the required emissions tests.

DVSA chief executive, Gareth Llewellyn, said: “We take the quality of MOT testing extremely seriously, have carried out 24,000 garage checks and continue to work with the industry to improve test quality.

“We’ll withdraw the right to provide MOTs, and even prosecute garages who fail to meet the required standards, including those who pose a risk to air quality by failing to carry out emissions tests on vehicles.”

Related: DVSA to crackdown on MOT system dishonesty and negligence

Last year DVSA staff carried out over 24,000 garage checks, which resulted in 761 warnings or disqualifications being issued to MOT garages or testers who carried out improper tests that endanger road users.

Enforcing emissions checks of diesel vehicles is one of a number of measures DVSA is taking to support the government’s strategy to improve air quality.

From August this year the agency has been including emissions cheat devices in the roadside checks it conducts on lorries in Britain’s roads.

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1 Comment

  1. Interesting that the DVSA have taken such a hard line on this when their own HGV testers no longer carry out any emission check during the annual test. Do non compliant trucks not ‘pose a risk to air quality’ then?

    Reply

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