Bethsmummy Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 (edited) Right, here's a strange one. 2 weeks ago on Sunday I collected my parents from Doncaster airport. I arrived there around 1.45pm but their flight wasn't due until 2.15pm I quickly discovered the car park is free for a 15 minute stay or £6 for over 30minutes. Been a tightfisted Yorkshire lass I didn't wanna fork out best part of a tenner just for sitting in my car so I exited the car park & decided to have a drive around. All around the main roads is a broad solid yellow line & no stopping enforcements. However there are many industrial units surrounding the airport with what appear to be driveways leading to car parks. Anyhow as I was driving around. I noticed that everywhere I turned was a white transit van. If I used a driveway to perform a quick u turn the transit van would make a u turn at the next junction and continue following me. It was very disconcerting as a lone young female in unfamiliar surroundings knowing that a lone man in a transit van was following me. This went on for half an hour. It was Sunday afternoon too and the area was completely deserted. At 2.15 I could see my parents plane on approach. I had a banging head & was very wary a van was tailing me. So I used one of these industrial unit driveways to stop. Lock my doors, take two paracetamol for the headache & ring my partner to tell him of the strange van following me. Whilst talking to him. The van also pulled into the same (dead end) driveway in nestled into a tight gap behind my car & the curb. I explained to my partner he'd followed me in & parked behind me & my partner said to start my engine but punch in 999 in case the male got out of his vehicle. Just as I started my engine & punched the digits in the van overtook & sped off. I rang my partner back & said he'd driven off & he explained it was possibly just airport security making sure that our vehicle was identifiable given security implications at airports & such. When mum & dad landed a few minutes later I was compelled to tell them about the strange van following me all around for the last half hour. Not thought about it much since, until today when I received a £120 fine for stopping in a no stopping zone from VCS or vehicle control services. It appears when I stopped to ask for help and advice on a van following me the same van was photographing my car to issue a fine. Is this even legal? Is it ethical to follow a car to the point of making the driver feel threatened in order to take a picture of them while stopped? I can't actually believe they are allowed to operate in such a manner! Edited November 10, 2012 by Bethsmummy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sid Umpley Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 its not a fine. only the police of the council can issue fines. ignore it. wipe your arse with it. do what you want with it but dont pay it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bethsmummy Posted November 10, 2012 Author Share Posted November 10, 2012 its not a fine. only the police of the council can issue fines. ignore it. wipe your arse with it. do what you want with it but dont pay it. I wish there was a "like" button for this lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vague_Boy Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 Is this even legal? Not sure but I'm guessing Industrial units: private property Airport: private property They set the rules. It was Sunday afternoon too and the area was completely deserted. Except for this strange car just driving around. I'm no fan of over zealous security but given the proximity to an airport and industrial units, any half-awake security guard would have felt their spidey-sense tingling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
browninggold Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 I wish there was a "like" button for this lol Me too. Now't but bully's. I have to pick some up from there next week so will look forward to seeing said van. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squiggs Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 Seems common for Doncaster Airport e.g. http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/askhj/answer/33200/ridiculous-parking-charge Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dawngary Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 i had a fine in july ive not paid it,i keep getting letters about it everytime it goes up.its now up to 217 quid does anyone think i should give in and pay it im quite stubourn and willing to see them in court....gary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walkley Dave Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 PRivate parking company. Loads of threads all giving the same advice. Ignore their threats; ignore their debt collector's threats and ignore their solicitor's threats. Save the paperwork. You will get all sorts of legal horlicks about how they can now (since October 1st) pursue the registered keeper. This is true so if you are the registered keeper simply ignore, their powers are identical - zilch. If you aren't tell the registered keeper about it and tell them to ignore all threats. Only respond to stamped court papers. And at that point come back. This explains it very well. http://www.popla.me.uk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walkley Dave Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 If you want a laugh look up VCS v. Ibbotson at Sc unthorpe District Court. Love the bit where the judge tells the VCS solicitor if she has to come back to his court to bring her toothbrush. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moosey Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 (edited) If you want a laugh look up VCS v. Ibbotson at Sc unthorpe District Court. Love the bit where the judge tells the VCS solicitor if she has to come back to his court to bring her toothbrush. I thought I'd have a nose at the Judgment. Didn't realise it was McIlwaine - been before him myself before when I was doing a lot of Scunthorpe steel cases. Remember having one of my trials heard by him that I won. Good days. I love the toothbrush comment though! The Judgment is interesting though. What it does and doesn't say is important. The Judgment makes no mention of the tax case, and you know my thoughts on that. What it does say is that this decision wasn't a general principle - it was chucked out because of a fatal flaw in the contract between VCS and Wickes. It shouldn't be quoted readily in any defence, unless the person who has been sued (unlikely as that is) has seen the contract between the owner of the land and the PPC. It isn't authority (it isn't anyway as it's County Court) for any rule that a third party can't sue on behalf of someone else. In fact, yesterday, whilst drafting a form for something else, I got to thinking about this... http://www.mib.org.uk/Submit+a+Claim/en/Conditional+Assignment+Form.htm The Motor Insurers Bureau meet claims, as people may know, where negligent drivers who have caused injury can't be traced or aren't insured. The conditional assignment form allows the MIB to bring claims at Court against the negligent driver, if they choose to do so, even though they weren't party to the original accident. There are other examples (debt selling is a good one) but it's certainly possible to have a third party sue where they aren't involved. This is the sort of contract that McIlwaine was looking for - there needed to be a recovery term in the contract that specifically authorised the PPC to issue proceedings. Finally, and more worryingly, said PPC only needs register as a law firm, which it can now do, under the new ABS rules. It then has guaranteed rights of audience to act, and issue proceedings. This one concerns me the most. Bit more info for you....the infamous Miss Coates - http://www.becket-chambers.co.uk/index.php?page=holly-coates Edited November 10, 2012 by Moosey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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