Wheel clamp

[Amadeus]

If I were to get clamped (I've not!) whats there to stop me cutting it off and driving away with it? I appreciate that it's criminal damage but is it not my word against the clampers that a clamp existed?

[Bluepete]

They usually photograph the clamp in place with the number plate in view.

Pete ;)

[FG1]

Some time ago there were people cutting them off and admitting criminal damage as opposed to paying the extortionate fine.....
If you cut it off and drove away, without evidence of you actually doing it then why not say somebody else must have cut it off ????

Reasonable doubt ......

[Spank86]

Reasonable doubt ......
Aren't vandalism and parking enforcement civil matters so instead of reasonable doubt you're looking at the balance of probabilities?

[Red Herring]

Vandalism is normally criminal damage, and that's a criminal offence (the clue is in the name), although under a certain value it's summary only so the worse you can get is 6 months. Sounds like a bargain compared to what they charge these days to release a clamp.

[Amadeus]

Some time ago there were people cutting them off and admitting criminal damage as opposed to paying the extortionate fine.....

If you cut it off and drove away, without evidence of you actually doing it then why not say somebody else must have cut it off ????



Reasonable doubt ......


Yes, that's what I thought. I wonder if it's ever been used as an argument - I expect it has, and presumably it didn't work!

[atassiedevil]

Clamping is illegal now though, isn't it?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19782680

[Red Herring]

A friend of mine came up with the perfect solution when a particular school run mum kept parking her car on his property for about forty minutes each afternoon. He finally jacked up the front of the car and took off both drive wheels, taking them into the police station and reporting them as "found" property. No damage to the vehicle, no theft as he had no intention of keeping them, and he didn't move the vehicle so no TWOC either. It did ruffle a few feathers but he appears to have been well advised so nothing came of it..... except she did stop parking there!

[Bluepete]

DVLA and bailiffs with warrants can still clamp.

[Amadeus]

A friend of mine came up with the perfect solution when a particular school run mum kept parking her car on his property for about forty minutes each afternoon. He finally jacked up the front of the car and took off both drive wheels, taking them into the police station and reporting them as "found" property. No damage to the vehicle, no theft as he had no intention of keeping them, and he didn't move the vehicle so no TWOC either. It did ruffle a few feathers but he appears to have been well advised so nothing came of it..... except she did stop parking there!


I think he must have been pretty sure of himself! Nice solution.

[Amadeus]

DVLA and bailiffs with warrants can still clamp.


Dvla? When would they clamp? I think I must be unaware of their full remit

[Red Herring]

Untaxed vehicles. They can clamp them and then arrange removal.

[Amadeus]

Ok, I was going to ask a dumb question about if DVLA had people wandering the streets looking or if traffic wardens were linked to their data but then I thought they could just look at the disk on the windscreen... :-)

But now with no physical disk - how do they identify offenders?

[Red Herring]

They have vans equipped with ANPR cameras and they basically drive along the roads reading the plates on all the cars parked at the side of the road. They do monitor passing traffic as well but as they don't have powers to stop vehicles they can't do anything about it immediately. Of course if you tick that little box that says you haven't used it on the road whilst it was on a SORN you might be in trouble......