Sobell Centre carpark - towing cars with £400 fines!

Mack

Has anyone else had trouble in the last few weeks with the Sobell carpark? My boyfriend went in and parked when the barriers were up a couple of weeks ago, and didn't see that they had new signs up saying they've given control of the parking fines to a new company (the Sobell own the land) - he was clamped, and then when he went back to sort it out in the morning, they'd towed the car away (having said he had 28 days to pay a £80 fine) to EDMONTON where he had to go, pay £400 and pick it up, and they almost didn't give it to him because he had no ID. Which has got to be another scam since they don't ask you to bring any, and add on £35 every day the car stays there. The Sobell centre are claiming no responsibility at all even though they hadn't taken down the barriers from the previous system, and own the land these crooks are working on. £400! for a minor parking violation, in a credit crunch???? from a sports centre set up by a charity?

andy

£400! That's outrageous. Chase it. Let us know how you get on. <http://www.racfoundation.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=284&Itemid=30>; <http://www.theaa.com/public_affairs/reports/clamping-on-private-land.html>; * In 2001, in response to The Foundation’s and motorists’ concerns, the government passed legislation in the form of the Security Industry Act in order to set up a licensing scheme for clampers. The Security Industry Authority (SIA) was later set up in 2003 to implement the scheme. * As of 3rd May 2005, clamping without a Security Industry Authority Licence became a criminal offence. Anyone clamping, towing or blocking vehicles for a fee will now need a licence. * All wheel-clampers now have to undergo training, criminal record checks and identity checks in order to be granted a licence to clamp.

Mack

Well the update is that after 2 weeks of pestering all our local MPS and councillors, and getting lots and lots of locals to pester them too, the Sobell centre refunded the money and the MPs are talking to them about changing the system. So pressure does work!

graeme

I can hardly believe it! Well done. There's currently debate on how illegal the fines are because they are well beyond what is a reasonable punishment, though that's a whole other thread.

Islington Council once took my Micra from outside Highbury (residents permit but I didn't know it was midweek match day). Fair play, though I reported it stolen before they reported it removed. But then they denied they had it. In their pound. For 3 months.

injoke

i think the legal argument against these fines is not that they are an unreasonable punishment, but that they are a punishment at all! there is no basis in english law for a private company to "punish" a subject.

underscore_cue

yeah exactly. The bill of rights also says no financial penalties without the judicial system involved - so if you get a fixed penalty you've always got the right to have the matter dealt with by a court instead..

Decriminalised parking enforcement by councils is enabled by an act of parliament and is a specific exception to this - but obviously private cowboy companies aren't acting on the authority of parliament they're just extorting money.

Incidentally has anyone ever removed a clamp - I lent my car to a friend 2 years ago when I went to Egypt on the basis that he would come and pick me up at Gatwick. I got a call when I was in Cairo saying the car had been clamped outside his house (a privately controlled off street parking area).... I gave him a load of agro, and to be fair to him he went to the tool hire place, got an angle grinder and then the next morning he rang me to say he went out at 6am and used the angle grinder to get the lock off and release the clamp. Problem solved and no cowboy clamper profited at all.

Obv this is only really an option if its near your house, though I suppose with a long extension lead you could just knock on doors, most people will be on the side of the plucky underdog who's been fucked-over and taking some action rather than the evil clamper.

phantom_user

@ optimo75: Did you say your Micra? So *you're* James McAvoy...

graeme

Arf, no McAvoy I'm afraid, though from that side of the border. It was a 1.0, old style...does he have the bubble shape?

I didn't even claim the insurance on it as the excess was more than it was worth, so I just kept thinking "I'm sure it'll turn up...". And it did. They were nice to look after it for me all over the Christmas holidays in their secure pound near Old Street, and I walked away with it without having to pay the £1200 fees since I had reported it as stolen...

As for removing a clamp, if they've put it on badly, you can deflate the tire and try and get it off that way. I got clamped down NRV a few years ago, and they didn't come for 4 hours to release it. I was fuming on a number of levels, though there were signs up I would pay the release fee as I was in the "wrong", but felt the time they withheld my property was harsh/criminal. Only time I've seriously considered torching an office...

mapsa

Don't know if this is still the case, but when I lived in Scotland about a decade ago there was no such thing as private wheel clamping. Under Scots Law it was considered theft to clamp someone's car, as you are depriving them of the opportunity to use it.

So you could always try parking in, erm, Scotland.