The council that 'only bothers towing away expensive cars'

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A council has been accused of towing away expensive cars that are illegally parked while allowing the drivers of old and battered vehicles to escape with just a ticket.

Two company directors claim Hammersmith & Fulham is running a two-tier system after their vehicles were ticketed within eight minutes of each other in the same street.

A Range Rover belonging to Matthew Steeples was towed away, forcing him to pay £150 to retrieve it on top of the £50 fixed penalty fine. But his friend Ed Rigg was only given a parking ticket for his ageing Vauxhall Astra delivery van.

Ed rigg with his unwanted Vauxhall Astra and Matthew Steeples with his Range Rover, which was towed away

Mr Steeples said that a parking enforcement officer at the council's pound told him: "We always take the more expensive car as we know they'll pay up.

"People with old vehicles aren't worth bothering about as they won't pay to get them back."

Mr Steeples, 26, who runs a drinks firm, said: "The man on duty at the pound was quite open about it when I asked why my car had been towed but not Ed's van.

"He was being serious. They do not want to have to crush the cars that go unclaimed. I think it is disgraceful because it is double standards and discriminates against anyone with a nice car.

"They should either have removed both our cars or given us each a £50 ticket.

"Everyone knows the people who work in this industry can be pretty obnoxious anyway but this really did add insult to injury."

Mr Steeples, from Chelsea, added: "The man refused to give his name but I have a witness who heard him admit it. Whatever the council may say officially, this is obviously the way they operate in practice. They admitted it themselves."

The two men, who had arranged to meet for a drink, parked in Farm Lane, Fulham, at 6.45pm on 22 March.

The pair, who claimed they thought parking restrictions were not in force in the residential area after 6.30pm, left their vehicles 55 yards apart on the same stretch of yellow line.

When they returned an hour later, Mr Steeples's Range Rover had been towed away. He later discovered it had been ticketed at 7.17pm. Mr Rigg's van was still there, with a ticket timed at 7.25pm.

Mr Rigg, 27, from Dulwich, who also runs a drinks firm, said: "I was happy that I did not have to pay as much as Matthew but it is clearly not a sensible or fair policy.

"I am a white-van man of sorts and my vehicle is about eight years old. But I need it for deliveries and I would have paid to get it back.

"Parking is a nightmare in Fulham but you expect the rules to be enforced equally at least."

Illyana Reeves, a spokeswoman for Hammersmith & Fulham parking services, denied the council singles out expensive vehicles.

She said: "That should not have been said to Mr Steeples. It is untrue.

"What normally happens is that we have got very few tow trucks. One truck arrives and takes a vehicle and then they will come back for the next one if there is not a second truck available.

"But sometimes the owner of the vehicle comes back before the tow truck returns."

 

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