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Accident recovery charge immoral.

20th January 2011
Page 11
Page 11, 20th January 2011 — Accident recovery charge immoral.
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CM COVER STORY chris.tindatifarbi.co.uk A ROW OVER A £3,000 bill charged by a recovery operator for towing an HGV away from the scene of an accident has erupted after R McDowell Distribution branded it "immoral".

Roger McDowell claims damage sustained to his vehicle was minor and the police-approved vehicle recovery operator (VRO) should therefore have billed him a fraction of the cost following the incident on the A55 near Queens ferry, Flintshire on 11 January.

24/7 Recovery and Rescue director Mark Brown says it only charged the statutory fee agreed by the Home Office.

But McDowell says the statutory charges are being applied inconsistently and says a firm not on a police contract would have charged him £1,000 for the recovery.

"I know it's not illegal, I am saying it's immoral," he says.

"The police are quite happy to let these guys charge what they want. In other areas, we do not get these sorts of prices."

Peter Beckerley, specialist lawyer and partner at Rausa Mumford, says operators who are unhappy at the rates they are charged must show that the damage sustained to their vehicle is minor and not substantial.

"It's a tricky process as the VRO could use a statutory lien to hold the vehicle.

"But if the amount is too high, they are not entitled to it."


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