I just caught the tail end of an item on wheel clamping on BBCs Watchdog. It centred on a clamping operator who was towing away legally parked cars and (seemingly) getting away with demanding a £200 fee to release the car.
Can anyone explain why such operators are allowed to operate outside the law and are not immediately subject to a visit by the police? If a person can prove that their car was legally parked, as I am sure these people could, then surely there is no legal basis to demand a fee for release of the car.
Was there something I missed in not seeing all of the program?
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Even taking the proverbial pinch of salt (I am not exactly a Watchdog fan) the overriding impression I got was that the police were not interested in upholding the law.
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Who am I? Where am I going? Will I be able to park when I get there?
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Personally I'm an advocate of hiring a disc cutter and taking it to the illegally placed clamp. Failing that I would be keen on tracing the owner of the clamping firm (not difficult) and fitting every door on his house with a dirty great bolt and padlock, demanding a £1000 release fee. Should focus his mind......
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I would have thought solicitors would be lining up to offer their services to people who are treated in this manner. From a layman's point of view, I would have thought that there are all sorts of laws being broken here. It is surely extortion to demand payment of money for the return of one's property, when it has virtually been stolen.
Is there some point of law I don't know about, that allows a company with a licence to clamp (they must have to have one, surely) to act outside of the law? What about the licencing authority, do they not have the power to revoke licences, to impose penalties or demand repayment of money?
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It looked like a classic example of the police using the 'its a private matter' rather than getting involved - it's easier for them that way.
These cars were stolen, but the thieves were kind enough to leave their contact details. Surely its not beyond the wit of the Police to attend with one of these victims and arrest the operator for stealing vehicles and demanding money by menaces - but that involves work.
It seems anyone now has a legal right to go to any car park, lift a car and charge you vast sums to get it back.
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These cars were definitely stolen, as far as I can see, so I don't understand how the police could use the stance that it is a private matter.
I am a bit dismayed by the failure of the Watchdog team to explain the legal situation. Surely they could have had a police representative on the program and/or a legal expert. Instead they wheel on a Tory spokesman, who is interested mainly in scoring political points.
Do any of our BRs know the legal standpoint?
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And the Tory boy's solution - a Code of Conduct for operators, (like that would work in this case)!! How about a simple solution of applying the law as regards theft of motor vehicles?
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I've only once had personal knowledge of something dealt with by Watchdog - it was a catalogue of ommitted information, incorrectly stated information and anything else that was required simply to make the story worthy and sensational.
Reporting at the "Double decker on the moon" level, in my opinion.
Not so much a pinch of salt as a wheelbarrow.
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No matter how badly it was done by Watchdog, it doesn't get away from the basics of this situation, which is that cars parked legally in parking spaces, for which the owners had permits, were towed away by a clamping operator. They were then asked to pay £200 to get their own property back, which, effectively, had been stolen from them. It is sensational enough on those bare facts alone. The provision of a licence, to operate as a clamping business, surely does not allow them to do this.
Suppose I stole a car that happened to be parked across my driveway (which has happened many a time), on the basis that it was causing an obstruction, and then demanded money for its return. Do you think the Old Bill would look the other way and say it was a private matter?
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I just caught the tail end of an item.....
Maybe there was more at the beginning to explain the situation??
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The story in short - clamping company approaching landlords to 'manage' their car parking. Some landlords were saying yes, others were saying no.
The clamping company then decided to simply remove any car parked in the spaces, even if the car belonged to the company paying for the parking space. The clampers then demanded £300 in cash to get it back. More disturbingly in situations where the landlord said they didn't want the service they took it on themselves to remove cars anyway and demand a £300 removal fee.
Hence the charges of theft and demanding money by menaces.
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Seems I got the amount of money they were asking wrong, but everything else is as I remember it.
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