On-the-spot and deferred emissions tests
9.—(1) An authorised person may require a person driving on a road a motor vehicle which is in, or which is about to pass through, or which has passed through, an air quality management area of the appropriate authority to permit the vehicle he is driving to be the subject of a test for the purpose of determining whether an emissions offence is being or has been committed.
(2) Subject to paragraph (3), the test referred to in paragraph (1) shall be carried out immediately by an authorised person.
(3) An authorised person may, instead of proceeding immediately with the test—
(a)require the test to be carried out by an authorised person at such place and time (being not later than 14 days beginning with the day on which the paragraph (1) requirement is imposed) as he shall specify when imposing that requirement; or
(b)require the person on whom the paragraph (1) requirement is imposed to present the vehicle for examination under section 45 (tests of satisfactory condition of vehicles) of the Road Traffic Act 1988(1).
(4) When imposing a requirement under paragraph (3)(b), the authorised person shall also—
(a)require the driver of the vehicle concerned to produce, in respect of that vehicle, either a test certificate issued under section 45(2)(b) of the Road Traffic Act 1988 or a notice of failure; and
(b)specify—
(i)the date on which, and the time at which;
(ii)the place at which; and
(iii)the person to whom,
the certificate or notice is to be produced.
(5) The date specified under paragraph (4)(b) shall be within 21 days of the day on which the authorised person imposes the requirement under paragraph (3)(b).
(6) A requirement for the production of a certificate or notice shall not be treated as satisfied unless the date of issue of the document produced is on or after the date on which the requirement was imposed.
(7) A person who fails to comply with—
(a)a paragraph (1) requirement, or
(b)a requirement of paragraph (3)(a) or 4(a),
shall be guilty of an offence and be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 3 on the standard scale.
(8) In this regulation—
“notice of failure” means a notification, under section 45(4) of the Road Traffic Act 1988, of the refusal of a test certificate in which the grounds specified as those on which the vehicle failed the examination under that section do not include item 28 in paragraph 3(b) of Schedule 2 to the Motor Vehicles (Tests) Regulations 1981(2) (including that item as applied as mentioned in paragraphs 3A to 6 of that Schedule); and
“paragraph (1) requirement” means a requirement imposed by virtue of paragraph (1) of this regulation.