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Curse of Lambeth Council Car Rustlers
October 9, 2009 5:57 PM
Tow truck hovers as Lambeth Parking Warden writes out ticket
Lambeth Liberal Democrat Councillors are hearing of numerous if extreme cases of Council car rustling in the cash-strapped London Borough. Residents who have already objected to parking wardens' hard-nosed attitude to ticketing have now discovered that Lambeth's so-called 'friendly' wardens are actually riding around in tow-trucks, slapping on a ticket to a car and towing it away to the pound, all within a matter of moments.
The motorist returns to find the car missing and may wonder if it has been stolen. After fruitless contact with the police they discover that their vehicle was really snatched from the street by a ruthless gang of out-of-control Council parking wardens operating like cattle rustlers. Instead of a modest fine motorists caught-up in Lambeth's latest parking scam have to pay both a fine and a release fee which may run into hundreds of pounds. And if they discover too late that it is their Local Council that has been operating this snatch and grab policy, they'll have to pay several days or even weeks of excessive daily car pound charges as well.
The practice which the Labour-run Council denies is a money-making racket has now been spotted by Liberal Democrat Opposition Councillors. Lambeth clings to its fairer parking pretence by saying that vehicles are removed to the pound where they are parked in dangerous positions, but residents caught in the sting have vehemently denied this.
Car is towed and the warden gets back in the tow truck - all done in 10 minutes
Cllr Andrew Sawdon said, "Lambeth Parking is completely out of control - it's like the Wild West out there. Anyone who parks in Lambeth now seems easy prey to these marauding parking pirates. No wonder Labour Lambeth is now the tow away capital in London."
Cllr Sawdon added, "Labour came to power promising fairer parking but they have operated the dodgiest system imaginable using high-speed snatch and grab vehicles to tow away cars for minor misdemeanours and raking in millions of pounds. They've already been caught issuing hundreds of unfair tickets and operating blatant parking scams. Yet they have one of the highest rates of losing appeals in London and stubbornly refuse to pay back fines even when appeals go against them. This is not fairer parking, it's daylight robbery."