A LORRY crash which ended in the deaths of six people at Sowerby Bridge more than four years ago was caused by the gross negligence of a transport manager, a Court has heard.

The heavily-laden truck with faulty brakes careered down a hill and ploughed into a van which was then embedded in the front of a shop and a house, the jury was told.

Bradford lorry driver Derek Waterworth, 63, died at the wheel of the eight-wheel tipper he was driving for the now defunct Fewston Transport, of Skipton.

Also killed were 42-year-old van driver Peter Stott, of Luddendenfoot, Halifax, and pedestrians Beryl Rose, 49, Angela Rooke, 38, Anne Crossley, 32, and her two-year-old daughter, Karen, all from Sowerby Bridge.

Paul Worsley QC, prosecuting, told Newcastle Crown Court that all lives were lost due to the gross negligence of 46-year-old Eric Preston, of Branch Road, Skipton, who was Fewston's transport manager.

He said it had been Preston's duty to make sure the lorry was checked regularly, but an examination of the vehicle after the tragedy found its braking system grossly defective.

The court heard how the brakes on all four axles were defective.

"He was transport manager and his duty was to make sure that the wagon was fully serviced every 28 days or 5,000 kilometres. By the time of this accident it was not 28 days that had elapsed, it was 61."

Mr Worsley said that when Preston was seen by the police, he denied responsibility for the accident. He said it was down to human error.

"He seeks to blame the driver for this accident in the face of overwhelming evidence that every single brake assembly on all four axles had such defects as to make the braking system totally defective."

He told the court that Mr Waterworth qualified as a class three HGV licence holder in 1978 and as an instructor 12 months later.

In August 1989 he was registered with Piccadilly Workforce, a Bradford-based agency, working as an HGV driver.

"Over three years he was found to be an excellent ambassador for the company. He was always punctual and conscientious.

"The haulage company, Fewston, regularly asked for him by name and that was the case in September 1993," said Mr Worsley.

He had taken the wagon from the company premises at Skipton and collected a 20 tonne load of gravel before setting off for Sowerby.

Mr Worsley said that other motorists who saw him that day were left with the impression that he was driving carefully.

"As he approached Bolton Brow, a man in a lorry behind began to hear Mr Waterworth try his brakes several times."

As the tipper went down the one-in-10 hill, smoke was seen coming from the vehicle.

"You may conclude that the brakes had failed and Mr Waterworth was trying to select a lower gear to slow down," said Mr Worsley.

Preston denies six charges of manslaughter.

The trial continues.

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