​The single-decker Yeomans liveried bus burst into flames at Mortimers Cross in Herefordshire on November 28 last year. Huge flames and plumes of smoke could seen billowing from the vehicle as passengers were evacuated One of those to witness the fire was Annaly Goodwin, who told the Hereford Times: “I didn’t see what started the fire, and I have absolutely no idea, but I saw the flames.” Council speaks out as bus firm banned after investigation Ban on ‘reckless’ county bus company that ‘endangered passengers’ The blaze sparked a formal inspection of the fleet being run by Lugg Valley Travel, which shares an address and director with Yeomans, by the Government’s Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) in January. Five of six buses were immediately prohibited, with three found to have “significant failures in maintenance”, while inspection logs revealed that vehicles “remained in service with known safety defects”. What are your thoughts? You can send a letter to the editor to have your say by clicking here. Letters should not exceed 250 words and local issues take precedence. Traffic Commissioner for the West Midlands Miles Dorrington said that in his 17 years’ experience, “this is the worst PSV fleet inspection that I have ever seen”. Stay updated with all the latest Herefordshire news that matters to you! Read the local news and stay informed with our advert-free app, read the paper before anyone else via: The Digital Edition, gain unlimited access to Hereford Times website, and much more. As a result of the investigation, Lugg Valley Travel’s public service vehicle (PSV) operator’s licence has been revoked from the end of December for four years, as has its ability to hold “any type of operator’s licence in any traffic area”. The Hereford firm’s sole director Nigel Yeomans is also banned from holding any such licence for the same period, or from being a director of a company that holds, or applies for, any type of vehicle operator’s licence. And its transport manager Ian Davies “has lost his good repute” as a transport manager and is disqualified from this role for the same four years.