Steve Bates, 53, of Westbourne Grove, Westcliff, drives a white Ford pickup truck with the registration plate EX58 UFD, but has been receiving fines for an almost identical van, with the registration plate EX58 UFB.
The resident claims to have received more than 20 fines since 2015, and top things off, this week his van was clamped while parked on his driveway and Mr Bates was told the clamp will not be removed until the fines are resolved....but are the public sector any more efficient?
A spokesman for Highways England said; “We have processed more than 150 million payments under Dart Charge and the vast majority of them have been smooth and hassle-free. When there are problems we always try and put things right with a minimum of fuss.
“We’re sorry for the inconvenience this has caused. Another driver had a damaged number plate which made it look like Mr Bates Vehicle. We’ve now flagged the number plate on our systems, so it will get extra manual checks in future before any fine is sent out.”You've only flagged it now?
Well, quite! Shouldn't the police be interested too, in case it's not damage, but a deliberate act?
Do these private enforcement companies have the legal power to enter private premises and clamp vehicles?
ReplyDeleteDid the car owner receive correspondence about these tickets and just ignore it? I know it may not have been his fault but perhaps a bit of action on his part might have resolved this sooner.
Often easy to remove clamp without damaging it, been there, done it
ReplyDeleteHowever, if clamped on my drive I'd:
1. Remove and throw on road - not me guv
or
2. Bad move: Phone police as it's criminal damage - there will be abrasion damage. They will support state and warn you not to remove.
"Did the car owner receive correspondence about these tickets and just ignore it?"
ReplyDeleteThere's quite a bit of speculation about that in the comments.
"Phone police as it's criminal damage - there will be abrasion damage. "
Will they turn up? Maybe only of the abrasions form an 'offensive' word...