Bailiffs called in fine muddle
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• by Jennifer Ball A Northamptonshire haulier claims that a court-mix up over a London Lorry Ban fine has left him facing the bailiffs.
Ron Bowles, of RW Bowles Transport pleaded guilty at Uxbridge Magistrates' Court to evading the London Lorry Ban after his driver went down a reclassified A-road. He was given a 1350 fine but instructed not to pay It to Uxbridge Court as it was being transferred to Towcester Magistrates' Court, which would confirm when it would collect the money.
However, six weeks later he received a letter from CCS Enforcement Services demanding he paid the original fine plus a £67.50 bailiff fee by 23 July.
Bowles says: "I phoned Uxbridge Court and they said that they had sent us a reminder saying that Towcester had refused to receive payment because it was from a business and that we should have paid it to them [Uxbridge]. But we never received anything saying the fee had been transferred; if we had we would have paid it immediately."
A spokeswoman for Uxbridge Magistrates' Court says: "The fine was transferred back to Uxbridge and Mr Bowles was then sent a reminder for payment. He ignored this se bailiffs have been instructed to recover the money."