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Blackburn bar owner's bailiff 'nightmare' (From Blackburn Citizen)
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Blackburn bar owner's bailiff 'nightmare'
5:20pm Tuesday 3rd February 2009
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- By David Watkinson » Chief reporter
A BAR boss has slammed “aggresive” bailiffs who have pursued him for three parking tickets — adding more than £1,000 in extra charges.
Ronnie Brown, 57, the owner of North Bar in Blackburn, said he and his wife Josephine, 56, had been treated “horrendously” by bailiffs from the Equita group.
In one letter he was warned that bailiffs will “remove property” from his home to “discharge” his debt.
The letter adds: “I will re-attend your address and may remove goods even in your absence.”
Mr Brown, of Kings Road, Blackburn, said: “I have been in the music business for years and had to deal with some unsavoury characters in my time but my experience with these bailiffs has been horrendous.
“We have been bullied and they have demanded exorbitant amounts of cash.”
Just last month the Lancashire Telegraph reported that pensioner Andy Miller suffered a fatal heart attack after being approached by a bailiff wanting to recover a speeding fine.
After receiving three parking tickets last year due to parking problems near the North Bar in Town Hall Street he attempted to appeal the fines.
But after the appeals were dismissed the council passed the fines, which had risen to £143 each, to the Equita agency.
When he was confronted by bailiffs each had risen to more than £366.
Mr Brown said: “I have paid the bills because the bailiffs were so forceful.
"I just wanted to get rid of them and get them away from my house.
"They sent letter after letter and confronted us face to face demanding the cash immediatly.
"I had no choice but to hand over a cheque.
“I was told that they would force entry to my house and take my property to the value of my debt.
“It was scary and has made my wife quite ill.”
He said he is now considering taking the bailiff firm to court to recover the “disproportionate” fine.
Blackburn with Darwen Council said that parking tickets that are not paid after repeated requests are passed to outside agencies for collection.
Bosses at Equita, the largest national private bailiff company in the UK, said they could not comment on Mr Brown’s case.
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Your Say YourCitizen
andy1, burnley says...
5:40pm Tue 3 Feb 09
midas, burnley says...
6:12pm Tue 3 Feb 09
slackerbtch, Blackburn says...
6:13pm Tue 3 Feb 09
Deserves everything he got IMO.
onlyonesimongarner, ewood says...
6:19pm Tue 3 Feb 09
But in this case I have no sympathy for this Guy
He knew that they would arrive at some point and that he would have to pay up,
brian jones, Leyland says...
6:47pm Tue 3 Feb 09
He needs to get on to www.pepipoo.com where he can ask for some help on the parking forum.
Opti, Darwen says...
7:56pm Tue 3 Feb 09
Maybe this is now in effect?
Toshy67, Blackburn says...
8:50pm Tue 3 Feb 09
wacked1212, blackburn says...
9:23pm Tue 3 Feb 09
The fees were withdrawn when the firms involved were confronted by evidence of the prescence of a worker at the time of the alledged visit. These people work on fear and harrassment and often get away with it because people think they have no rights. At the end of the day Mr Brown is not a criminal,so why was he pursued like one for three parking tickets? I applaud his complaint and hope that other people get the courage to do the same IT MAY JUST PREVENT ANOTHER DEATH.
midas, burnley says...
10:00am Wed 4 Feb 09
"due to parking problems" - does that mean he wasn't happy that he couldn't park where he wanted to park!! He gets 3 tickets and ignores them all. He appeals to the Council and gets more time to pay, how many chances does he get to pay his fines, which is money that goes to the Council to pay for OUR services.
spyderleg, blackburn says...
12:09pm Wed 4 Feb 09
midas wrote:Another Burnley maggot who does'nt know what he or she is talking about.I just hope you get a little bit of the big brother treatment one day.See how you like it!
He is a criminal, he is a fine defaulter and at the end of a lengthy process of trying to get him to pay the money he owes, he could have gone to prison. "due to parking problems" - does that mean he wasn't happy that he couldn't park where he wanted to park!! He gets 3 tickets and ignores them all. He appeals to the Council and gets more time to pay, how many chances does he get to pay his fines, which is money that goes to the Council to pay for OUR services.
Little Diamond, Darwen says...
1:09pm Wed 4 Feb 09
The Telegraph could put together a special report giving people a guide on what steps to take when they find hat they have a debt that they can’t settle. Also spell out the powers of the bailiffs and let the public know how to deal with them. The council should insist that the debt collectors they contact to collect their debts do not use frightening bully boy tactics.
It appears to me that the bailiffs are cut from the same cloth as “Doormen” or Bouncers as they were more aptly named. The police and local authorities don’t seem to mind that some of these men are bordering on gangsters as long as they get a quiet life. These bailiffs and doormen should be under more control not control themselves.
So come on Telegraph and Blackburn with Darwen council I challenge you to do a public service and for once, try not to sensationalise a story for the sake of headlines.
Robbie, Manchester says...
1:12pm Wed 4 Feb 09
2. he was warned they would come if he did not pay the fine! giving him more time to pay the fine!
he did not pay the fine so they turned up and did there job. if they are nice about it aka "oh please sir can we have the money we owe, no oh ok" then they wont get the money!
if they are like sir give us the money you owe or we will have to take your items.. then that will
simple answer!!! PAY YOUR FINE WHEN DUE!! AND DONT CRY WHEN BALIFFS TURN UP!!!! MUPPET!
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SCARED: Bar owner Ronnie Brown with a bailiff’s notice
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HarwoodBiker, Great Harwood says...
5:27pm Tue 3 Feb 09
They will also try and push past you once you open the door, as once they've set foot inside your house that's it.
They use intimidation tactics to try and get people to pay up. I realise that they have a job to do, but most of them seem to act barely within the law.
Best thing to do with parking tickets is just pay up straight away. They will get you in the end.