A scaffolder has been barred from running commercial vehicles after being found “totally unfit” to hold a licence.

Anthony Graves applied to run vehicles from Albion Parade in Gravesend under the name of Allscaff, but was refused the needed licence at a public inquiry in Eastbourne following a string of offences last summer.

The inquiry heard that Mr Graves had been stopped alongside another driver by government inspectors on July 8 and 29, with both found to be lacking the correct operator licence, tax and insurance.

Mr Graves’ vehicle was 45% overloaded, and the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency later identified that he lacked the correct category of licence to drive it.

The transport commissioner for London and the South East, Nick Denton, said the evidence exposed Mr Graves’ application as “frivolous”.

“I find that Mr Graves has knowingly operated on more than one occasion without an operator’s licence and has operated severely overloaded vehicles which were not taxed or insured,” he said.