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Citywatch still in business - is this legal?
usignuolo
post Sat, 17 Mar 2012 - 17:27
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Story in the London Evening Standard last night about someone being "charged" £1100 by Citywatch enforcement for parking outside an Enfield Post Office for 3 mins last Saturday - left his removal van there while he dropped off his mail redirection instructions. Charged £80 for being ilegally parked, £565 to call tow truck and £465 to release him.Made to hand over his credit card to get his van back. The BPA, who drummed them out a while back, was reported as saying it was "preposterous" but tthey seem to be getting away with it because the land next to the post office is private land and they have a small sign up somewhere. Are they still registered with S.I.A. and is this sort of thing not illegal now?
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post Sat, 17 Mar 2012 - 17:27
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WageSlave
post Sat, 17 Mar 2012 - 17:47
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Yep. Story is in the Daily Mail and the Enfield Independent too:-

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-21...PER-MINUTE.html

http://www.enfieldindependent.co.uk/news/l...ee_minute_stay/

There's a short thread in the flame pit too. see here

I've sent an e-mail to the journo at the Enfield Independent suggesting that he might wish to steer the victim, Mr Ganesh Prakasam, to this website if he fancies having a go at trying to get his money back.

Not the first time that Citywatch have exceeded the £1000 mark with their release fees. See this story from 2010:-
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12...inute-stay.html


This post has been edited by WageSlave: Sat, 17 Mar 2012 - 17:53
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SchoolRunMum
post Sat, 17 Mar 2012 - 18:01
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Why would anyone pay that? Cheaper to get a locksmith there, or failing that, call a garage to take your car to their premises and remove the wheel/clamp surely?
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usignuolo
post Sat, 17 Mar 2012 - 20:32
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It wasn't a car it was a removal van, he was moving house. This is not the first time they have charged this sort of sum and several people have taken it up with their MPs but the police seem unwilling or unable to touch them. There was one infamous case when they clamped someone in a block of flats and fined them a similar sum and they had no authorisation at all from the flat managers or owners to do this. When does it become extortion and why in such cases are the police so unwilling to act. Given these cowboys are not members of the BPA or even it seems, licensed anymore by the SIA, when do their activities become officially illegal.
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whitewing
post Sat, 17 Mar 2012 - 22:14
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It is a criminal offence for an unlicensed person to clamp or take money for release- the cowboys generally get round this by employing licensed operatives
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WageSlave
post Mon, 26 Mar 2012 - 14:08
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I see there's another story in the Enfield Independent concerning another victim of Citywatch. This time an octogenarian called Henry Doulton. Story says he was clamped while picking up his medication and had to walk over a mile to get home:-

http://www.enfieldindependent.co.uk/news/l...n_pub_car_park/



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hbkidf
post Mon, 26 Mar 2012 - 14:12
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Shocking:

1) Pub staff member: “He should have come into the pub if he was a regular and we would have had the clamps removed from his car.”

2) Mr Doulton, who has never had a parking ticket during the 60 years he has been driving, says he tried to speak to staff at the pub but they said there was nothing they could do.
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WageSlave
post Mon, 26 Mar 2012 - 14:17
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I suppose it is remarkable in itself that there's an 80 year old motorist pottering about without a blue badge. Had he been displaying one then they couldn't have lawfully clamped him.

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