The fine of £27,000 imposed on a Mexborough firm after one of its trucks crashed into a Bradford house sends a firm signal to all those who own and operate heavy vehicles.

It was very fortunate that no-one was injured when the six-wheeled dumper truck careered backwards across a road and ended up embedded in the living room of the house in Cheddington Grove, Lower Grange. Things could have been much more serious if any person or vehicle had been passing along the road at the time or if the tenant of the house had been at home.

As it is, it is worrying enough that a truck with such a defective brake system could be carrying out excavation work on the site of a housing project. The prosecuting solicitor pointed out that the front brake fluid reservoir was empty and the one at the rear down to a minimum. When the vehicle was jacked clear of the ground and the brakes applied, all six wheels could be turned.

As several accidents have made tragically clear, trucks and lorries can do terrible damage if they run out of control. A car with badly maintained brakes is dangerous enough, but a heavy vehicle with similar faults is a potential disaster area.

The company involved in this case, which relied on its drivers thoroughly checking their vehicles daily, was said to have been shocked to discover how fallible the system was. It has now recruited a specialised mechanic.

Other companies will hopefully take note of the size of the fine and make sure that their own system for checking vehicles is sound and effective.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.