Southwark Parking Wardens - setting a poor example

[Gimme]

Recently I was ticketed for parking in a loading bay in ED. Three hours later I saw the guy who gave me the parking ticket parked in the same loading bay while he ticketed someone else on a yellow line. On other occasions I've seen Southwark parking wardens (now called Civilian Enforcement Officers) parking across disabled ramps on pavements and on double yellow lines on dangerous corners.

The behaviour of these individuals is hypocritical, sets a poor example to the community and in some of the cases described, blocks the way for people in wheelchairs or with pushchairs, and adds to the dangers of certain road layouts.

Can everyone who sees a Southwark Civilian Enforcement Officer (on a bike or in a dark red car) parked somewhere that we, the public, would be ticketed for, please photograph the offending vehicle and complain to the council to try to stamp out this appalling behaviour.

This issue has already been raised to the managers in charge of parking at Southwark Council but they have taken the line that 'they are allowed to so they will' quoting the 1984 Traffic Management Act as their right for their staff to park where they want no matter how dangerous or hypocritical.

The manager in charge of parking at Southwark Council is called Nick Costin and I'm sure he'd be delighted to hear from you. I'm not sure that I'd be allowed to give out his email address on this post but if anyone wants to PM me, I'd be happy to pass it on.

[EDKiwi]

The other day I saw two of them giving some guy loading a van up some grief because he was parked half on a yellow line near a street corner, but he was not obstructing traffic, meanwhile they had parked their car over a dropped curb and driveway to a block of flats. Wished I had the time to stop and take a photo and ask them what the deal was.

[dogcat]

I nearly hit one on LL when the bastard pulled out straight in front of me, no indication!!

[karter]

gimme has the right idea, take photos, i saw the red car in a disabled bay. I wonder if Jbarber can help with this?

[Narnia]

If I'm correct they are allowed to break the law to enforce it on other people. Seemed to be the gist of part of the response to an appeal of mine for a ticket I received, not too long ago

[Gimme]

Declan - you are right, they say they are allowed to break the law to enforce it on other people.

The problem I have with the way they use this 'right' is that I'm not sure that it was intended so that they can do what they want, when they want, with impunity (including parking in dangerous places). I would imagine that the council would prefer that people saw their staff as part of the community not some group who annoys everyone else more than they need to with their 'I'm above the law' attitude.

As with every right, there is a responsibility to exercise that right appropriately.

[Wiggle]

A while back I complained to the council following an incident where my mother in law (OAP) was harassed by a warden whilst sitting in her car as I jumped out to post a letter in a post box just around the corner. Admittedly she was in a resident's bay without a badge, but it wasn't a red route and was a no through road with plenty of space to park in. To cut a very long story short I returned to the car to find a tearful mother in law saying she had been given a parking ticket despite having offered to move immediately but that she hadn't been handed a piece of paper. I could still see him so jogged down the road to clear up what had happened. All I asked him to do was walk 50 feet back to the car to explain that she hadn't been ticketed, as she was upset. What followed was a tirade of verbal abuse and threats of physical violence as he 'didn't eff-ing have the eff-ing time to talk to some old lady when he hadn't given her an eff-ing ticket - and anyway, what was my eff-ing problem'. After I pointed out that he needed to calm down and all I had done was politely ask him to clarify what had happened he went absolutely ballistic - so I told him I would be reporting him to the council and walked away having taken his ID number from his shoulder. He followed me back to the car, leant through the window of the car and screamed at both of us (this time with hand gestures!). We had to drive off with him practically hanging through the window.

I complained to the council (copying MP) stating his number, exactly what had happened and where and all I got was a standard reply saying that they had no reason to believe that he was nothing other than an exemplary employee as no-one had ever complained about him. I saw him a few weeks later screaming at someone else.

It seems that breaking the law to enforce stretches to more than just parking 'illegally'.

[jimmy two times]

I don't think even the Police can break the law to enforce the law.

[tiger ranks]

I really do not like the southwark (hide round the corner then give you a ticket) traffic wardens

[Ladymuck]

Well, see if any of you can beat this!

My neighbour...a very hard-working polish man (with not too brilliant English...but he's learning fast)...received a parking ticket a while ago while out at work. The parking ticket was valid...and our neighbour isn't questioning that. However, being a very busy builder who works long hours, he stuffed the FPN somewhere in his van and forgot all about it...until yesterday. Yes, yesterday...I noticed that his car (not the van guilty of the original offence) had been clamped. I looked around and could not for the life of me see on what grounds...there appeared to be none. I later bumped into my (very glum looking) neighbour and asked him about this...and...wait for this...

He told me that, because he had failed to pay the original FPN (which was for something like ?60), Southwark had since got his property "tracked"...in this case his car...and clamped it. How much do you think it is going to cost him to get the wheel clamp removed?

I'll take your guesses...

Clue: more than ?100

[TheAllSeeingEye]

I'll say ?240.

Jobsworths all of them, who actually even applies for a job like that, let alone gets out of bed every morning to do it ...

[DonGee]

Ladymuck, this happened to me this on monday morning, I ended up paying ?446 to get the clamp off my car - while i accept it was my own fault for stuffing the ticket in the back of my glove compartment - i never once recieved a reminder letter not even the one that tells you the PCN has gone to ?100..... I won't be stuffing tickets anywhere from now on other than in my purse - to pay....

[Ladymuck]

DonGee Wrote:

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> Ladymuck, this happened to me this on monday

> morning, I ended up paying ?446 to get the clamp

> off my car - while i accept it was my own fault

> for stuffing the ticket in the back of my glove

> compartment - i never once recieved a reminder

> letter not even the one that tells you the PCN has

> gone to ?100..... I won't be stuffing tickets

> anywhere from now on other than in my purse - to

> pay....

Well DonGee...my neighbour didn't receive a reminder either...it's disgraceful...

If it makes you feel any better though,whilst I'm sorry for you (thinking of all the hours you had to work to earn that)... Urrrgggh...my neighbour paid more than ?446...yep...keep guessing everyone...

[TheAllSeeingEye]

There are rules against this, it was on Watchdog 12-18months back, just need to get support behind it ... ilke with bank charges etc, a charge is understandable, but the amount they stretch it to .. in excess of ?446 in this example ... for what they have done work wise, and what you have done "wrong-wise" is ridiculous. I mean, people get fined less for criminal offences !!

[sanity girl]

There is a thread from a while back about how to get back these clamping charges. I don't have time to do a search now, but hopefully some kind soul will

[Ladymuck]

TheAllSeeingEye Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> There are rules against this, it was on Watchdog

> 12-18months back, just need to get support behind

> it ... ilke with bank charges etc, a charge is

> understandable, but the amount they stretch it to

> .. in excess of ?446 in this example ... for what

> they have done work wise, and what you have done

> "wrong-wise" is ridiculous. I mean, people get

> fined less for criminal offences !!

Quite! Well, I'll tell you, my neighbour got fined...deep breath now...?680! Yes, that's six hundred and eighty pounds...if that isn't extortionate, then I really don't know what is. Disgraceful.

[jimmy two times]

Parking wardens are usually foreign workers who only do this job because it's all they can get. Quite often they are very educated people, yet they have to put up with all sorts of terrible abuse. I rarely ever get parking tickets, and do you know why? Because I pay attention to parking regulations. It's not hard.

[Brendan]

That's no excuse for them to disregard the law themselves.

[kford]

jimmy two times Wrote:

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> I rarely ever get parking tickets, and do

> you know why? Because I pay attention to parking

> regulations. It's not hard.

It is if you come across these signs, of which there are many in central London: http://www.barnetresidentsassociation.org.uk/bra/files/parking-sign.png

[jimmy two times]

Yellow lines = parking ticket

Double yellow lines = parking ticket

Red line = parking ticket

Double red lines = parking ticket and indeterminate prison sentence

See...not hard to work out is it ?

[R&A]

I once parked down a road with bays marked 8:30am - 6:30pm all the way down the very long road

I didn't notice that the last bay they had changed the times to 8:30am -8:30pm... It was dusk. Had i seen the change of course i would never have parked there. Still it was my error but it seemed quite sneaky and it was a genuine mistake.

Then i got a ticket parking next to a 'dropped pavement'. I've never even heard of a dropped pavement. There were no yellow or red lines to speak of. It didn't cross my mind that you weren't allowed to park there.

Anyway - both my fault but through sheer mistake and not malice or laziness. ?120 seems like a hefty fine for two genuine mistakes?

[DonGee]

oh my gosh, ?680... it's sickening. Whats more is the breakdown of the costs they give you. ?80 for van rental, petrol and insurance. I sure will be looking into trying to get some of it back - how lucky successful i'll be is another thing.

What makes it worse for me is I never get parking tickets.

[Ladymuck]

DonGee Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> oh my gosh, ?680... it's sickening. Whats more is

> the breakdown of the costs they give you. ?80 for

> van rental, petrol and insurance. I sure will be

> looking into trying to get some of it back - how

> lucky successful i'll be is another thing.

>

> What makes it worse for me is I never get parking

> tickets.

Yes, as I said...pure extortion. Most of us accept that illegal parking/non-payment of fines incurs fines...but it is the amount of these fines which are - in my view - criminal. Hope you manage to get some of yours back. Let us all know. Good luck.

[PeckhamRose]

If Nick Costin works for Southwark Council his email address will be [email protected] I think traffic wardens are the scum of the earth and deserve everything they get except racism. There, I have said it.

[woofmarkthedog]

Be ahead of the "Licensed/certified Bailiff "( ?10k to purchase this license) as he likes to be know, thug debt collector is a better term.

He will have you believe he's from the court, he's not. Actually he represents his client the Council in a civil matter & his powers are quite limited, so he's a chancer preying on un-collected civil debts such as easy money parking tickets. ( Remember he is a high pressure negative sales man and gets commission/bonuses from his company for fees/sales generated )

Ask him/them to see his badge ( if you can, film him on your phone ) a court Crown bailiff will have a metal cop like badge. ( This is the one not to mess with, co-opperate with him ..oh & he only adds the statutory ?25 or for his visit also he can let you pay fee free the original costs over time) but he ( the thug DC )cant and wont have one.

So ask to see his paper license, now copy/photograph it. In his hand is a civil enforcement ( they have technically bought the debt & add "charges" of their own) now they will try ,lie , wrench your arm up your back to get you to agree to pay for the "service" that you are faced with.

These charges are not claimable by them in court, call the police if you feel intimidated; Also they have no rights to enter your home, even to make a list (another trick)

Don't pay them , don't enter into any form of payment scheme with them & don't let them cross your thresh-hold even one bit. If you have the guts for it tell them to "***off" and that you won't pay them,because don't forget you have not actually been to court so you are not breaking the law are you. You have not requested their services or entered into a contract verbal or other wise.

*Note if you do agree a payment scheme with them and miss in any way a term or payment, then they can heap on the extra extortionate charges legally , this is the second strategy they try to employ, resist at all costs

Plus, with the council, once they have engaged their services, they will have to pay to get out of it, so you will get no love there.

It's worth noting that even at this late stage you can go to back the TEC in Northampton and make a retrospective claim. Call them , they will e-mail you the forms,once you do this by fax they will notify the council who then call off the thugs straight away, also you can appeal as many times as you like & this can run for many years

As a defense; You may never have recived the "Notice to driver" who knows, this is for them to prove as they only send it by normal post so it can easily go amiss, if this is the case you get to revert the fine back to the original ?60 cost BTW

Lastly in the end the thugs will hand back the debt to the council marked "un-enforceable", you are not a criminal, it's a civil matter. Remember always be prepared to try to pay the council as your debt is with them.

Finaly to avoid this stress, technically "sell & leaseback" your goods to this company, if & when the balif does arrive you own "nothing" and have a bill of sale/ lease agreement to prove it

.....and boy does that feel gooooood

http://www.mysecuresentinel.com/securesentinel/personal-property-protection.dot

W**F