DVSA No 'Rent' Clampings and a Fer Shale

[Isaac Hunt]

Spotted my first ever DVSA clamped car today. It was a 53 Plate French Chod parked half on the pavement and half in the road.

 

As a matter of curiosity I ran the reg through the on-line checker to find out when the last rent had been paid to the department, expired Jan 31st and shown as not taxed. MOT till July of this month.

 

Conversely, there is a bit of chod I spotted that now stands with a couple of flatties. Parked in the road I ran a checker innit. This was sorned at the end of May, MOT'd in June and now sits fer shale still sorned and parked in the road. VW Poh Low on the T Plate with 12 Months ticket at £250 of interest to anyone of this parish, pm me and I'll let you have the mobbie number in the window, location south mids

[lesapandre]

Your first clamp? Like the first cookoo or when you first realise that sore is herpes. London is full of them - I see at least one a day - clampings not herpes. They are everywhere here.

[SiC]

Loads around Bristol too. Especially on the grass lined pavements outside people's houses. Usually see a whole line of them when they've not long passed. Then over the space of a week the notices & cars gradually disappear until the remaining ones get swept up.

[Alanism]

I've seen stacks here in sunny Grimsby and Cleethorpes too.  They really don't seem to mess about.   I think they have a local private company doing them on their behalf.  

[SiC]

The DVSA vans around here have 4 cameras - one on each corner. I believe they're linked to an ANPR system in the van and it'll ping up as they're driving up/past vehicles. So a case of driving along, *ping*, jump out with wheel clamp+stickers+computer, slap it all on and drive off to the next. DVSA are based here in Bristol, so possibly why I see quite a few stickered cars.

[Asimo]

I've only ever seen one around here. A two year old Beetle, tax out for a few months. It had the clamp on for weeks.

[Lankytim]

Saw about 6 appear in the space of 24 hours here in Stoke. We were on holiday in Cornwall a few weeks ago and loads got clamped within a day or so there too, including a Metro with flat tyres used to advertise a local garage. The were all lifted and gone after a couple of days too.

[Des]

Lots of clamping going on around me in North Watford, a surprising amount in terraced roads where cars are parked chock a block nose to tail, there's no way an APNR is copping them, either there are a lot of miserable fuckers narking, or the clampers are looking at who hasn't re-taxed and going fishing.

[SiC]

Lots of clamping going on around me in North Watford, a surprising amount in terraced roads where cars are parked chock a block nose to tail, there's no way an APNR is copping them, either there are a lot of miserable fuckers narking, or the clampers are looking at who hasn't re-taxed and going fishing.

Probably all 3 of targeting by reporting, some by driving surveillance and others by simply driving along streets that the DVLA computer says no tax.

[Isaac Hunt]

I haz lead sheltered Loife innit.

 

The PohLow for shale at £250 with 12 months ticket is 95 on the N plates

[DodgeRover]

I'm surprised people don't just drive round with a strip of duct tape obscuring the number to save all these problems...

[Talbot]

Lots and lots of clampings here too. I think they've upped their game recently. Not only know this from seeing it everywhere, but I might* have been nabbed by one myself.

 

Tits.

[Richard]

I've a horrible feeling mine is going to be clamped while I'm away. I taxed it today, I have two copies of the receipt in the window and it's parked in my drive, but it's not showing as taxed in the system yet, and that's what they go by.

[DodgeRover]

Your drive is I assume private property belonging to you, they can go and do one....

[Richard]

That doesn't make any difference to them, and I won't be there to tell them to do one.

[Talbot]

That doesn't make any difference

Irritatingly true. Apparently they are allowed to enter private property to clamp untaxed vehicles. I was surprised this is legal, but it appears to be.

 

That said, if there's a reciept for payment in the window, you should be fine. The clampers do look over the vehicle before slapping the clamp on.

 

Also, apparently they don't clamp SORN'd vehicles found on the road. Only truly untaxed ones.

[davehedgehog31]

My mates car got clamped in his office carpark.

 

The worst bit, it was a modern eco rammel that qualified for free road tax. You do actually still have to go online and declare though, which he hadn't done.

[Doctormop]

Apparently if the untaxed vehicle is visible from the public highway despite being on private land they can clamp it, if it's behind locked gates or is not identifiable from a public right of way: ie no registration plate attached it can't be immobilised*

 

*May or may not be true but that's what someone told me and he seemed to know what he was on about.

[Talbot]

Apparently if the untaxed vehicle is visible from the public highway despite being on private land they can clamp it

This.

 

Afaik, they are not allowed to jump a fence or break down locked gates either, it has to be easy access. I think the law was written to basically allow clamping in private car parks, but like all good* laws has been "interpreted" and is being used in situations that are technically legal, just not what the intention of the law was.

[paulplom]

At a public free car park in Bedlington on Friday I counted 15 with clamps on. There were a few others dotted about the town as well.

[purplebargeken]

Silver Beemer locally.... parked up on  the cycle lane for a while now, it does change direction every couple of days but has the plates removed. Untouched.

 

You see maybe one or two clamped a month here, not as many as you would imagine for a shit North London hood.

[lesapandre]

I've a horrible feeling mine is going to be clamped while I'm away. I taxed it today, I have two copies of the receipt in the window and it's parked in my drive, but it's not showing as taxed in the system yet, and that's what they go by.

On private property you can legally obscure your plate . Do that.

[lesapandre]

Irritatingly true. Apparently they are allowed to enter private property to clamp untaxed vehicles. I was surprised this is legal, but it appears to be.

 

That said, if there's a reciept for payment in the window, you should be fine. The clampers do look over the vehicle before slapping the clamp on.

 

Also, apparently they don't clamp SORN'd vehicles found on the road. Only truly untaxed ones.

Is this correct?!

[lesapandre]

My garage mechanic obscures plates on cars he has on the forecourt to avoid problems. 

[New POD]

Is this correct?!

This government and most of the previous ones are a shower odd Shiite.

[DodgeRover]

My garage mechanic obscures plates on cars he has on the forecourt to avoid problems.

There's a semi local car dealer who leaves their vehicles on American plates for what I assume is this reason.

[Kiltox]

If it’s sorn or with trade they won’t touch it, I don’t understand why they’d bother obscuring plates

[lesapandre]

If it’s sorn or with trade they won’t touch it, I don’t understand why they’d bother obscuring plates

I think because these a tax expired cars. He is an eccentric chap - nice though. He drives a Frontera 2-door painted matt black.

[DodgeRover]

If it’s sorn or with trade they won’t touch it, I don’t understand why they’d bother obscuring plates

No idea, there was that article in the trade press about them clamping cars on forecourts a couple of years ago though as they had 'reasonable' public access. Probably adopting the better safe than sorry attitude.

They do clamp SORN stuff though, there have been 2 clamped in our area whilst on a sorn and parked on the road - extending that they would probably do it to one on a forecourt.

[Richard]

Did I read that right? If you falsely declare that the vehicle is off road it's fine to take it on the road?