A PENRHYNDEUDRAETH waste company has had its fleet of lorries temporarily cut from 25 to 10 after it was found to be flouting emission rules.

Gwynedd Environmental Waste Services (GEWS) will have its fleet of lorries reduced to 10 for three months by the Traffic Commissioner after admitting having an emission cheat device, called an AdBlue emulator, fitted to its trucks.

The reputation of the firm has been “severely tarnished”, deputy Traffic Commissioner for Wales Andrew Seculer said in a written decision after a public inquiry at Welshpool.

Transport manager Dafydd Price Thomas is also disqualified from acting in the role indefinitely.

Mr Seculer decided not to remove the company’s licence in its entirety as that would be “highly damaging” to the local community due to the specialised nature of GEWS work, but still inflicted a heavy cut on the company.

“This curtailment will undoubtedly have an adverse impact on the operator company’s profitability but the operator may reflect on the reasons for the action and consider the expectations of legitimate, compliant operators and the public at large where sustained, systemic cheating has occurred,” he said.

During the hearing, Mr Seculer heard that GEWS was a family-owned business that had held an operating licence since 2003 and is authorised to operate 25 vehicles and 25 trailers.

Last August, a prohibition notice was issued against one of the company’s vehicles for having an AdBlue emulator, an emissions cheat device, fitted.

An unannounced visit to the company was made by DVSA Vehicle Examiner Phillip Bramham in November and he found 20 vehicles still operating with AdBlue cheat devices.

Following the hearing, Aled Owen of the company’s solicitors Harrison Clark Rickerbys, said: “GEWS have reacted to their omission in a positive, constructive way.

“The directors have accepted their negligence and have taken every step since to react positively, reflecting the good name GEWS have in their local community and nationally in the industry.”