More hauliers fall foul of Thurrock clamping
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By Laura Hailstone A FURTHER THREE haulage irms have fallen victim to the extortionate vehicle clamping taking place in a road in West Thurrock, Essex.
As reported last week, a driver for Brian R Pateield was stung with an initial parking ine of £2,572 for parking in the unmarked road while he went to get some cash for the Dartford Crossing (CM 8 September).
After a lengthy ordeal involving phonecalls to the clamping irm, the police and the local council, owner Brian got the charge dropped to £750 and the truck released.
CM has since heard of three other clamping incidents in the same road – Thurrock Parkway – involving the same clamping irm, South East Clamping & Associates.
FJ Everett Transport was hit with a £1,207.50 ine when one of its drivers stopped on the road to check where he was going.
After getting his bearings, the driver walked a little way down the road to see if it was possible to turn his 44-tonne truck around and when he returned he had been clamped.
“At the most, my driver was gone for two minutes,” says owner Frank Everett. “We run 13 trucks and things are tight enough as it is. I couldn’t afford to pay £1,200 just like that, so had to get my brother to put it on his credit card.
“We’d be lucky if that truck made that much in a month.” MLT Transport was hit for a similar amount – £1,257 – and is currently talking to Thurrock police and Thurrock Council about the incident.
“We’re trying to establish whether the piece of road in question is actually privatelyowned or not,” says MLT owner Wanda Betts.
The third victim of the clampers, Clive Warcup Transport, has been working with Parking Appeals founder Neil Herron, to try to reclaim the £750 ine it received.
After sending a letter of intent to the apparent land-owner – Wood & Laminate Direct (South) – and receiving no response in the given 14-days, Herron is advising Warcup to proceed through the small claims court.
“It looks like a road to an industrial estate, and if it isn’t private, then it’s basically fraud,” says Herron.
“We need to get a resolution set as no one should be giving out such extortionate clamping ines.” Chrys Rampley, infrastructure, manager at the Road Haulage Association, says: “This is a prime example of charging extortionate amounts with no common sense taken into account.
“It is important to give this practice maximum publicity and prevent other hauliers from parking there.” CM called South East Clamping & Associates, and having identiied ourselves, the phone was hung up on us.
• Do you think you’ve been unfaily clamped? Contact laura. hailstone@roadtransport.com
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