Dad Removes Clamp From Car And Charges Clampers £581 To Get It Back Back

A dad who'd grown sick of parking enforcers took matters into his own hands when his car was clamped.

After noticing the device hadn't been fitted properly to his Ford Mondeo, Conor Seaborn, from Colchester, Essex, removed the wheel along with the lock.

He then chained them both to a lamp post and attached a note, which said it would cost the company £581 to get it back.

The note read: "Clamp property of Bristow and Sutor. Tyre property of Mr. Seaborn."

The 23-year-old claimed that his fine - which he picked up from a council-run car park - rose dramatically from a fine of £75 after he lost the details for his ticket.

"What they are doing is completely wrong," said Conor.

"The powers these people have to charge whatever they want is exploitative."

The Sun / News Licensing

The aircraft mechanic said he relies on his car to care for his family, and that the clamping wasn't correct.

He also explained that he has attempted to contact the collection agency, Bristow and Sutor, but it had proved very difficult.

The single dad said: "My car is a lifeline for my family. They just hide behind unfair rules and pocket the cash."

According to reports, the council says the debt could be for three offences of using a bus lane.

Parking is stressful at the best of times, and it's made more difficult when you turn off the ignition and realise you've got no change - as another guy learned the hard way.

For Jay Bentham, things got even worse when his parking app also stopped working, meaning he had no way of paying for his time.

So he resorted to leaving a note for the parking attendants in a last ditch attempt to avoid a fine.

PA

The 26-year-old from Mossley Hill in Liverpool was on his way to a work meeting on 29 March after being furloughed last year and had only recently returned back to work so was short on cash.

In a bid to avoid a fine, the drinks company rep left a cheeky note hoping that any approaching parking attendants would show sympathy and let him off the hook.

On a Post-it note, he wrote: "Phone and Pay App not working.

"Please don't give me a ticket, I'm proper skint."

Jay's search for sympathy didn't go down well, it seems. Because when he got back to his car later, he snapped a photograph showing a bright yellow parking ticket placed next to his note.

Ouch.

Topics: Car

Dominic Smithers

Dominic graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in French and History. Like you, Dom has often questioned how much use a second language has been. Well, after stints working at the Manchester Evening News, the Accrington Observer and the Macclesfield Express, along with never setting foot in France, he realised the answer is surprisingly little. But I guess, c'est la vie. Contact us at [email protected]

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