Abandoned cars in the snow Clamped!

peter_the_piper

We would like to assist the OP's friend to get their money back but without more input its not possible.
Don't forget its possible the clamper was also blocked in and thought they may as well make some cash.
There's no guarantee that the scum were authorised to clamp there, we don't even know if it was a private road complete with sufficient signs.

peter_the_piper

mikeouk wrote: »

looking on the redroute website they state in their enforcement policy that they will erect warning signs in prominant positions. I wonder if there was a redroute employee clearing these signs of snow so they wernt obscured at the time of the vehicles being abandoned? if not ,then they dont seem to have met the obligations stated in their enforcement policy. How could the people who were forced to leave their vehicles possibly know they were in a restricted zone unless the warning signs were clearly displayed?
they have an appeal process, seems to me, its up to them to proove they are in the right to enforce these fines.

In this instance you can't even say its a fine, its without doubt a "penalty" for getting stuck in the snow.

mikeouk

this site gives some interesting advice, http://www.ticketfighter.co.uk/Clamping.htm
i would say that claiming the signs weren't visible is a legitimate defense.

Alx*27

Clamping is different from penalties.

It comes down to consent. Were signs visible? What was their wording?

You would need to sue the landowner jointly with the clampers (Red Route probably already have a clutch of CCJs and you will not be getting any money out of them).

Read Vine vs Waltham Forest for clamping consent issues.

trisontana

Another instance of this is reported in today's Times. This was at the Roebuck pub in Winchester and the clamping firm was Cobra Security. One driver is quoted as saying "The roads were gridlocked. I thought it would be sensible to leave the car in a safe place overnight."

A spokesman from the clamping company replied "If they had to abandon their cars they should have left them at the side of the road" .

Of course Cobra have quite forgotten the fact that cars that have been abandoned at the roadside have prevented emergency vehicles and gritter lorries from getting down those roads.

biscuitdunker

It's on the BBC news website as well.

A Cobra spokesman said to "moan when you get clamped is ridiculous".

Warren Kitley, who lives in Winchester, left his car in the car park at about 1800 GMT but returned on Tuesday at 1100 GMT to find his car had been clamped at 2200 GMT the previous day.
He said he had to wait in the cold until about 1500 GMT before being charged £157.50 on his credit card for his car to be released.

So, not only did they clamp him, but they made him wait 4 hours in the snow in order to get his car back? There's a special place in hell for these guys.

It continued: "If you need to abandon your car then surely you would have to be daft to dump it on a site with clamping in operation.
"This is bad enough, but to then moan when you get clamped is ridiculous.

Oh yes, very ridiculous. It's not as if you're a scumbag parasite, or anything.

roddydogs

In case anyone is confused, they dont "Clamp" on" Redroutes"in London, they do sometimes "Lift" cars, but they wouldnt in these circumstances.Is this a private company with the name "Redroute"? and were the enforcement notices in place? if so you must be daft to leave your car there.

peter_the_piper

Alx*27 wrote: »

Clamping is different from penalties.

It comes down to consent. Were signs visible? What was their wording?

You would need to sue the landowner jointly with the clampers (Red Route probably already have a clutch of CCJs and you will not be getting any money out of them).

Read Vine vs Waltham Forest for clamping consent issues.

That's assuming they had permission or were contracted to clamp where they did.

photome

biscuitdunker wrote: »

Snow chains? You're joking, surely? Yeah OK, if you live in some wilderness area, get some chains by all means. But I'm not about to get snow chains in north London. It's not the public and their cars which concern me, anyway, it's the buses. I saw a bus skidding down Highgate Hill sideways.

And anyway, it wasn't a local authority, it was a PPC! I don't think the PPC here was really trying to do us all a favour and make the world a better place by clamping innocent people who had to abandon their cars!

Does that mean you wouldnt do anything to prepare yourself better for the conditions.

My Dad back in the 60s always carried chains for his 10 mile commute to work, guess what? he never got stuck.

The clamping does seem harsh though, but we should all be more prepared

biscuitdunker

photome wrote: »

Does that mean you wouldnt do anything to prepare yourself better for the conditions.

My Dad back in the 60s always carried chains for his 10 mile commute to work, guess what? he never got stuck.

The clamping does seem harsh though, but we should all be more prepared

My dad has never carried chains, and guess what? He's never been stuck either.

No one's saying don't use common sense, but suggesting that these people should have had snow chains in their cars and because they didn't, they're even partly responsible for their situation is totally unfair.