Dodgy clampers won't pay up

Oct 20 2006 By Neil Elkes, Birmingham Mail

UNSCRUPULOUS car clampers in Birmingham are laughing at the law by ignoring court orders and breaking promises to pay back their helpless victims.

Bosses at Small Heath firm Midway Parks are refusing to refund £465 awarded by a city court to motorist Robert Hayden after they illegally towed his car away.

The innocent victim's only option now is to fork out another £60 for bailiffs to visit their site to take the equivalent in assets. But because the firm's headquarters in Coventry Road consists only of a compound with other people's cars locked up inside, he sees little point.

Birmingham County Court made the award three months ago after hearing how the cowboys towed his Vauxhall Vectra away from a car park even though there were no warning signs.

The company was ordered to return the 42-year-old's £365 fine, cover his £50 costs and compensate him £50 for loss of earnings for the morning he took off work to collect his car.

But after weeks of silence and unreturned phone calls the Birmingham Mail joined Mr Hayden and another clamping victim, Mark Rollins, on a trip to Midway Parks.

As we arrived the clampers, who were in the process of taking another £400 to return a car to its owner, slammed their hatch shut and ordered us off the property.

Eventually we spoke to a man through a crack in the fence, but he refused to identify himself and said we would need to speak to the owner Mark Wilkins, who was not in.

Despite requests for an interview, Mr Wilkins has failed to contact either the Mail or Mr Hayden to explain why Midway Parks was ignoring the court order.

Mr Hayden, of Maytree Croft, Chelmsley Wood, said: "I have a court order and the law on my side, but what use is it if companies like this can just ignore it?

"The law is a joke when it comes to these clamping cases and the firms know it. The Government is always on about looking after people, but apparently not motorists. Mine is only one case. People have been intimidated and threatened, and I am sure there are other firms operating which are also laughing at the legal system."

Fellow clamping victim Mr Rollins was forced to pay £365 to collect his car from the Midway Parks compound after it was towed away from the Moseley Dance Centre by a separate firm.

He is also demanding a refund as the warning signs were not in place.

In August he was promised a refund by the firm's owner, but is still waiting.

Following these incidents and a string of similar cases, Selly Oak MP Lynne Jones is campaigning to outlaw the towing away of cars parked on private land.

She described the fines as "extortionate" and regulation of the cowboys as "hopelessly inadequate".