A PENYGROES coach company involved in a crash in eastern France last July when carrying teenagers to an Italian camping holiday appeared in court today, facing unconnected charges brought by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency.

Express Motors pleaded guilty to failing to ensure driver Melvyn Lane had sufficient rest and failing to record other work undertaken by him last July, a few days before the crash - which was not mentioned in court.

The coach had been carrying 44 Gloucestershire teenagers, two of whom had been badly hurt and others less seriously injured.

The company was fined £1,250 with a £125 surcharge and costs of £600 by magistrates at Caernarfon in cases brought under European Regulations.

Melvyn Lane, 51, of New Street, Porthmadog, who admitted taking less than the compulsory nine hours of rest time and not recording other work was fined £246 with a £30 surcharge and £450 costs.

Court chairwoman Diane Arbabi said it appeared to have been an isolated incident but pointed out: “The law is there to protect road safety.”

A prosecuting solicitor, Anna Moran, said Lane had failed to record that he had worked an 11.30pm to 8am night shift with the GP out of hours service before starting work with Express Motors from 2.15pm to 10pm.

His period of rest had been six hours 15 minutes, but nine hours was required. He’d told investigators that because he was not physically driving on a journey that day, being second driver on a coach journey to Leominster, he had not thought he had fallen foul of regulations.

His solicitor Michael Strain said he had fallen three and a half hours short of the compulsory nine hours rest but it was due to a lack of knowledge on his part.

Representing the company, John Heaton called it “a mix-up and misunderstanding”. They had been fully aware that Mr Lane worked for the overnight GP service.