Man cuts up car in clamp protest

Walter Hinteler

Quote:

Monday, 12 May 2008

Man cuts up car in clamp protest

A man has sawn his car in half with an angle-grinder in protest at it being clamped outside his home.

Ian Taylor, from Tredworth, Glos, said the untaxed Ford Fiesta was parked on his drive with only part of a rear wheel poking out on to the pavement.

The 40-year-old builder said the vehicle was going to be scrapped anyway, but he wanted to make a point.

A spokesman for NCP Services said half of the car was parked on the road and should therefore have been taxed.

'Jobsworths'

Mr Taylor bought the Fiesta for his stepson with the intention of restoring it, but it was beyond economical repair.

"I told [my stepson] not to bother, so we parked it up, we were going to get rid of it. I came home from work the other day and it'd been clamped," he said.

Mr Taylor said he made several efforts to explain that the car had a SORN (Statutory Off Road Notification) certificate verifying it had not been driven on the road and that it had been parked on his drive.

"We tried to talk to [NCP]. I said, 'you're not taking it'. I got my cutter and cut it in half," he said.

"[I'm] happy I got one over on them. They're jobsworths, for the sake of an inch and a half on the path."

James Pritchard, communications manager for NCP Services, said clamping staff had photographs to prove that half the car was on the public pavement.

"We were astonished at the reaction this gentleman had to the fact we put a clamp on his car.

"It was a remarkable incident which highlighted some of the problems my colleagues face while they're doing what is a very important job in ensuring that motorists tax their vehicle," he said.

"And in cutting his car in two, he managed to put both himself at risk and also a number of bystanders - along with ourselves, the police had to be called and the fire brigade, as he set fire to the car while cutting it in two.

"Fortunately, the only damage was done to his car and as far as our people are concerned we stand by what they did."

Source

Walter Hinteler · Posted: Mon May 12, 2008 8:10 am Post: 3232951 -

Photos via This is Gloucestershire

hamburger · Posts: 16832 Location: kingston, ontario, canada

that looks somewhat like what the queen's university students do here at graduation time .
this year they they managed to put a big hole right through the centre of an old car , got a lift crane and plopped it over a streetlight !
the city crew had a heck of a time getting it off again Laughing

the staid citizens of this "stiff upper lip" town don't always like those graduation exercises - even though many did similar things in their younger years .
they often write lengthty letters to the local paper suggesting that the police (or even the army) should have been called out to intervene .
some years ago the mayor actually read the riot act from the steps of city hall when the queen's u. students and the RMC (royal military college) cadets got into a scrap over who had first call on the fair maidens of this town .
most of the time they get along well , playing competitive sports and co-operating well ... but when the lively young women of our fair town dispense their many favours ... watch out Laughing

hbg

their annual january CARR-HARRIS challenge game .
RMC REDMAN trying to land a goal against queen's u goalkeeper .

Montana · Posts: 22069 Location: New Brunswick, Canada

Some people really crack me up.

food · Posts: 4

That's messed up.

Bella Dea · Posts: 14884 Location: Digging a really big hole in India

Did anyone else think it most odd that he was restoring a Fiesta?

Montana · Posts: 22069 Location: New Brunswick, Canada

Yeah, I did, but he's a guy Wink

shewolfnm · Posts: 21641 Location: Inside of myself.

SOME people have anger issues ........