Local resident Michael Thompson recently found himself on the wrong side of the law without even knowing it.
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Michael had ordered 15 roles of turf from Bunnings Warehouse Kempsey and on Sunday, January 31, he picked up his order and was provided with a courtesy trailer from the store to transport the load to his home in Crescent Head.
On his way home, Michael was pulled over by the police for not having the turf covered. He copped a $439 fine and lost three demerit points for the offence.
"I don't often tow trailers so I wasn't aware of the laws and didn't know I needed to cover the grass," Michael said.
"I had no idea I was doing anything wrong and no one at Bunnings said anything about having to cover the load."
The Macleay Argus contacted Bunnings for a response and in a statement, Area Manager John Newell said it's the customers responsibility to ensure the load is secured.
"As part of our Hire Shop services, customers can arrange to borrow one of our courtesy trailers to help get a larger item home from their local store," he said.
"Customers are responsible for securing their loads in accordance with the local road rules."
In the statement, Bunnings also said Michael did not seek advice from staff on how to secure the load prior to leaving the store.
Bunnings have since reached out to Michael and have reimbursed him for the fine.
"It was nice of Bunnings to do that, but I've still lost three demerit points and this issue will continue if there isn't anything done," Michael said.
"I had unknowingly broken the law and I accept that, but it would help if there were signs at Bunnings or if staff informed me that I would need to supply the tarp to cover the load when using their trailer.
"I'm the one that got burnt for this, but there could be many other people out there who aren't aware of the rules like I was."
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