A Malmesbury builder has been charged with placing a skip on a public road without permission from the highways authority, following the death of a motorcyclist last year.
Adrian Carey appeared before magistrates in Chippenham last month, where the court heard of the tragic collision in which Carl Denley was killed.
Mr Denley, a 29-year-old carpenter, was travelling along Lodge Road in Chippenham on his way to work when his Triumph motorcycle collided with the skip. Paramedics arrived promptly, but Mr Denley was pronounced dead at the scene.
The skip, belonging to Porter Metals and Skip Hire of Chippenham, had been hired by Mr Carey and placed on the main road through the estate, behind the property at which he was working.
All skip hire companies are obliged to obtain a licence from the relevant local authority, permitting them to place a skip on a public highway. This is intended to ensure skips are placed safely and can be seen easily by fellow road users.
There is no excuse for flouting the law, but if such permits were priced rationally and fairly, this law would surely stand a better chance of being more readily adhered to.
