Road Traffic Act 1960

133 Suspension of vehicle licences for defects

(1) If on the inspection of a public service vehicle it appears to a certifying officer or public service vehicle examiner that the vehicle, owing to any defects therein, is or is likely to become unfit for service until the defects have been remedied, he may suspend the public service vehicle licence in respect of the vehicle:

Provided that, where in the opinion of the officer or examiner the defects are such as can be remedied within forty-eight hours, and are not defects which involve danger to the public, the suspension shall not operate before the expiration of forty-eight hours, nor shall it operate after the expiration of that time if the licensee before the expiration of that time furnishes evidence to the satisfaction of the officer or examiner that the defects have been, or are in the course of being, remedied.

(2) Where a certifying officer or public service vehicle examiner suspends a licence under this section, he shall forthwith give notice of the suspension to the traffic commissioners who granted the licence, and to the licensee, and a suspension under this section which becomes operative shall continue in force until it is removed or ceases in accordance with the provisions hereinafter contained.

(3) Where a licence has been suspended under this section, the suspension may be removed by any certifying officer or public service vehicle examiner and where any such officer or examiner removes a suspension of a licence, he shall forthwith give notice of the removal to the traffic commissioners who granted the licence.

(4) Where a public service vehicle examiner for a traffic area refuses to remove the suspension of a public service vehicle licence, the holder of the licence may make an application to the traffic commissioners for that area to have the vehicle inspected by the certifying officer for that area, and where any such application is made, a certifying officer, on the matter being referred to him, shall, if he considers that the prescribed conditions as to fitness, or such of those conditions as are not dispensed with by an order under section one hundred and thirty-one of this Act, are fulfilled in respect of the vehicle, remove the suspension.

(5) A licence suspended under this section shall during the time of suspension be of no effect.