Kilsyth man has van clamped for not paying court fines - twice!

A Lanarkshire van driver who had unpaid fines for road traffic offences found his vehicle clamped twice within three months when he failed to settle the fines.
By John A. MacInnes
Published 23rd May 2019, 12:49 BST
A specialist team will clamp vehicles of owners who will not pay their fine.A specialist team will clamp vehicles of owners who will not pay their fine.
A specialist team will clamp vehicles of owners who will not pay their fine.

The Kilsyth man owed £150 for a fine imposed at Coatbridge Justice of the Peace Court for driving without insurance and discovered his Ford Transit van clamped on February 26.

Although he paid up in full to get his van back, he subsequently defaulted on a second fine of £120 imposed at Stirling Justice of the Peace Court for speeding. The clampers returned and immobilised his Transit on May 14 and he had to pay up again to get it back.

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On both occasions the fines were paid within a few hours of the van being clamped.

Clamping vehicles is one of a number of measures available to the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) for recovering unpaid fines. Other enforcement measures include arresting non-payers travelling through ports and airports, arresting earnings, freezing bank accounts or taking money directly from benefits.

Drivers also have to pay a clamping charge and mounting daily fees if a clamped car is taken into storage. Vehicles are ultimately scrapped or sold off if they do not settle their fines.

The 40th Quarterly Fines Report is published today by the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service – marking a decade of the official publication – and reveals three year collection rates for both sheriff and JP courts have increased to 90 per cent.

The Kilsyth man, who we have decided not to name, was given the opportunity to comment on the situation but declined to do so.