A transport manager who admitted AdBlue cheat devices had been fitted to multiple vehicles on his instructions has been banned from the industry indefinitely.

Eric Nicholson, who is also a director of Cockermouth transport firm EW & PA Nicholson, said he had made the biggest mistake of his life in arranging for someone to fit the devices to his firm’s vehicles.

Nicholson’s actions led industry regulator, Simon Evans, to disqualify him indefinitely from acting as a transport manager. He was also banned from holding or obtaining a licence to operate commercial vehicles for five years.

In a written decision issued after a public inquiry last month, the Traffic Commissioner for the North West of England said this was as serious a case of the deployment of AdBlue emulators as he had come across so far.

“The extent of usage in terms of the number of vehicles to which devices have been fitted, coupled with the length of time that the operator was prepared for this state of affairs to continue is alarming,” said Evans.

“It is manifestly the case that Eric Nicholson has conducted himself in a wholly disreputable manner, showing disdain for the regime.

“The loss of his repute as a transport manager is accepted as being beyond any argument.”