Jailed Porthmadog skip hire owners 'banned indefinitely'

Image copyright Natural Resources Wales

A family who ran a Gwynedd skip hire business which breached environmental laws have been banned indefinitely from running heavy goods vehicles.

Siblings Patricia Gaffey, Michael Gaffey and Joseph Gaffey, of Porthmadog Skip Hire, were jailed in March for illegally storing waste.

They had taken over the business after their father, Joseph Gaffey, 90, retired.

Traffic Commissioner Nick Jones said they had "badly let down" their father.

He revoked their commercial vehicle operating licences, including their father's, following a public inquiry.

In a letter to the inquiry, Mr Gaffey's wife said her husband had left the running of the business to his children and he "trusted them to carry on the business" as he had done.

Mr Jones said while he had retired from the business, Mr Gaffey was the holder of the operator's licence and the nominated transport manager and it was his duty to ensure the company complied with the law.

"It is regrettable that I have to make such an unpleasant order. However, his children have only themselves to blame," he said.