The Pressure Equipment Regulations 1999

Forfeiture of pressure equipment or assemblies for private use or consumption: England and Wales and Northern Ireland

4.—(1) An enforcement authority in England and Wales or Northern Ireland may apply under this paragraph for an order for the forfeiture of any pressure equipment or assembly for private use or consumption on the grounds that there has been a contravention in relation thereto of regulation 7, 8, 9 or 10.

(2) An application under this paragraph may be made—

(a) where proceedings have been brought in a magistrates' court in respect of an offence in relation to some or all of the pressure equipment or assemblies under regulation 25 to that court; and

(b) where no application for the forfeiture of the pressure equipment or assembly has been made under sub-paragraph (a), by way of complaint to a magistrates' court.

(3) On application under this paragraph the court shall make an order for the forfeiture of the pressure equipment or assembly if it is satisfied that there has been a contravention in relation thereto of regulation 7, 8, 9 or 10.

(4) For the avoidance of doubt it is hereby declared that a court may infer for the purposes of this paragraph that there has been a contravention in relation to any pressure equipment or assembly of regulation 7, 8, 9 or 10 if it is satisfied that those regulations have been contravened in relation to an item of pressure equipment or assembly which is representative of that pressure equipment or assembly (whether by reason of being of the same design or part of the same consignment or batch or otherwise).

(5) Any person aggrieved by an order made under this paragraph by a magistrates' court, or by a decision of such court not to make such an order, may appeal against that order or decision—

(a) in England and Wales, to the Crown Court

(b) in Northern Ireland, to the county court,

and an order so made may contain such provision as appears to the court to be appropriate for delaying the coming into force of an order pending the making and determination of any appeal (including any application under section 111 of the Magistrates' Court Act 1980(1), or article 146 of the Magistrates' Courts (Northern Ireland) Order 1981(2) (statement of case)).

(6) Subject to sub-paragraph (7), where any pressure equipment or assembly is forfeited under this paragraph it shall be destroyed in accordance with such directions as the court may give.

(7) On making an order under this paragraph a magistrates' court may, if it considers it appropriate to do so, direct that the pressure equipment or assembly to which the order relates shall (instead of being destroyed) be released, to such person as the court may specify, on condition that that person—

(a) does not supply the pressure equipment or assembly to any person otherwise than—

(i) to a person who carries on a business of buying pressure equipment or assemblies of the same description as the first mentioned product and repairing or reconditioning it; or

(ii) as scrap (that is to say, for the value of materials included in the pressure equipment or assembly rather than for the value of the pressure equipment or assembly itself); and

(b) complies with any order to pay costs or expenses which has been made against that person in the proceedings for the order for forfeiture.

(1)

1980 c. 43.

(2)

S.I. 1981/1675 (N.I. 26).