Daytrippers have set up camp in a town centre car park in Southend.
Twelve motor homes had arrived in the Seaway Car Park, Chancellor Road, by yesterday afternoon.
Ouch! That must cost them an arm and a leg in parking fees!
…a Pleasant Road resident, 46, who asked not to be named, said: “I use that car park as a cut through, but I’ve stopped now, because their children have been playing football, having picnics, shouting things.
“I don’t know if they have been paying to park either.”
One worker at a nearby business said: “At first, a few of them turned up over the weekend, but most of them arrived early Monday morning.
“You do worry about more and more showing up if they don’t leave. I wonder if they are paying their parking charges? ”
Oh, I’m sure the council will be right down there if they don’t! They aren’t going to just let this slide, with revenue at stake.
Are they?
The council said it would not be issuing parking tickets but didn’t want to comment any further.
If that sounds odd, well, of course,
they aren’t daytrippers. And so, aren't subject to the rules and charges that we mere mortals are…
I presume it would now be a defence in law that if the council are not issuing tickets in the basis of being a member of an ethnic group (I think gypsies/Romanies/pikeys are counted as such on Equal Opportunities forms) then the council is acting in a discriminatory fashion and must either (a) stop issuing tickets to anyone or (b) issue tickets to the pikeys.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to see someone try that defence, just for a larf.
***reaches for popcorn***
The council said it would not be issuing parking tickets but didn’t want to comment any further
ReplyDeleteI bet they didn't, given a report you quoted in April 2011:
Six motor homes have moved into the council-owned Fairheads Green car park in Eastern Esplanade, Southend.
Council parking wardens tried to slap tickets on the illegally-parked vehicles, but retreated after they were threatened and verbally intimidated.
It would make a good question for Maths GCSE; '18 months ago there were 6 motor homes, now there are 12. How long before the council car parks are filled to capacity and someone in authority actually has to do something?'
Under the road traffic act, a council owned car park can be classed as a road
ReplyDelete"S192 RTA 1988 sets down that a 'road' means 'any highway and any other road to which the public have access and includes bridges over which a road passes'. There are a number of elements within this definition. A car park is not a road - Clarke v Kato [1998] 1 WLR 1647. However, it is a public place within S192 and so otherwise included.".
For Vehicle Excise Licence offences, the definition of a road is "one which is maintained at public expense".
In which case, while the vehicles are there, the Police can check the VRNs for any insurance, MOT or VEL offences and take the neceesary action, though going by recent non-action by PC PCs, I reckong that nothing will happen, they visitors will leave the place looking like a sh*t hole for someone else to clean up (at tax payers expense) and they will move off to make some other poor sods lives a misery. If the car park has a barrier, then advise the visitors it will be used at a certain time after which it will remain locked for a set number of days. I only hope the locals remember the names of the councillors at the next local elections.
Penseivat
What is the use of handing out tickets?
ReplyDeleteWE all know they do not stand a moggies chance in HEL of ever being paid.
A couple of REME/Royal Pioneers mine/obstacle clearing Bulldozers,will do the trick nicely.
I don't want to get Julia in trouble, and if she considers this comment possibly actionable in any way, then I hope she deletes it. She performs a valuable service to those on the interweb for which I am eternally grateful, and I do not wish to abuse the privilege of visiting her blog by getting her in trouble. Nonetheless, what I have to say needs to be said: travellers will continue to abuse British taxpayers for the foreseeable future; neither the police nor the government will change this. The only way to get rid of them is through violence. We've all heard that bollocks about 'violence never solving anything'. Well, in my opinion, although this is fairly well applicable in many situations, it ought to be consigned to the dustbin just like that other old chestnut about how 'tolerant' the British are. If travellers come to your town or village, their caravans should be set on fire, they should suffer constant abuse, as well as threats of and actual violence. This is the only way to stop them. We've all heard the one about how many contacts they have, and this may be true, but there are more British taxpayers than Irish freeloaders. They take the piss because WE let them get away with it. As far as I'm concerned the only good traveller is a dead traveller. Bless you!
ReplyDeleteMaybe Hitler had the right idea on handling gypsies, if only he'd have kept to his borders and left the Jews alone.
ReplyDeleteThe next time my council sends me a bill or ticket, I'm going to return it with some clothes pegs and lucky heather, while claiming immunity.
ReplyDelete^ The inclusion of a spent cartridge case should clinch it, JP.
ReplyDelete"...then the council is acting in a discriminatory fashion.."
ReplyDeleteOh, on paper, yes. But in real life? I think we all know how far that one would be allowed to get...
And as FT points out, issuing the ticket is one thing - getting it paid, quite another.
"It would make a good question for Maths GCSE.."
LOL!
"I only hope the locals remember the names of the councillors at the next local elections. "
Given the large council estate that forms the main bulk of their constituency, I think there's more chance of them remembering their kid's fathers' names...
"Nonetheless, what I have to say needs to be said: travellers will continue to abuse British taxpayers for the foreseeable future; neither the police nor the government will change this."
I fear you're right - but I just can't see us mustering the will to change it, regardless of method.
"The next time my council sends me a bill or ticket, I'm going to return it with some clothes pegs and lucky heather, while claiming immunity."
ReplyDelete:D