Haringey ticket times four, tow & then atone

is there a Haringey somewhere else?

This isn't the blog that Mr Mustard expected to write when he was asked to help a Haringey resident last week.

The facts:

You are a resident of Haringey.

You own a car.

You have a resident's permit.

Your park your car perfectly within a residents' bay.

You go on holiday for four weeks.

An emergency arises & the road needs digging up.

Haringey Council are obliged to give less than 24 hours of notice.

Your car receives 4 PCNs for being within a suspended bay.

Your car is uplifted and taken to the car pound.

It incurs a tow fee of £200 and a £40 a night storage charge.

You come back off holiday & make enquiries as to where your car is.

You contact the pound to find you owe £1,680 (more than your 20 year old car is worth).

You prove to the pound that you were out of the country.

They tell you to pay up and can then challenge at the tribunal to get your money back. (what Mr Mustard expected to write)

Haringey Council cancel all four PCNs and release the car from the pound without charge because they had to suspend at short notice. 

They would have made a note of all vehicles parked in the suspended section at the moment when the suspension signs were erected.

Mr Mustard compliments Haringey Council on having done the decent thing without any prompting from him. They have saved themselves the time of fighting the Appeals which Mr Mustard would have made to the tribunal and £120 in fees.

Mr Mustard marks them 9/10. He would have given them 10 if they had relocated the car within the same road but there may not have been room.

All enforcement authorities are meant to show common sense in such a situation so if your holiday parking plans go awry don't lose your temper at the pound, explain the situation, produce your travel documents and you might get a pleasant surprise.

Yours frugally

Mr Mustard