Episode 10 The Sheriffs Are Coming

-'Meet the sheriffs.'

-Let's go.

-We're High Court enforcement officers.

We're here today to execute a High Court writ.

'They're the men whose job it is to get you your money back...'

It's an arrestable offence to stop me.

'..if you've been ripped off and don't know where turn.'

-I'm not waiting.

-I'm ordered to seize goods to clear this debt, which would mean clearing this place out.

-'If you've been to court but still not been paid what you're owed...'

-Why don't you tell me who you are?

-This is an absolute crock. You need to pay this.

-'..the High Court enforcement officers

'are charged by law to recover what a court says is rightfully yours.'

-I've seized your car, sir.

-You either let us through the door or we'll go through the window.

-Whoa, whoa!

-'It's time to call the sheriffs.'

-I've collected 42 grand.

'Coming up, Fred and Adrian paid £20,000

'for a building project that barely got off the ground.'

I said, "Well, I just feel like I've been hoodwinked. Completely and utter hoodwinked."

'The sheriffs pay a visit to the builder.

'Can they get Fred and Adrian what they're owed?'

If you'd proved you own that personally, we'd have gone ten minutes ago

and there'd have been no cause for you to call the police.

'Beth and Janet spent their life savings on a horsebox

'that was unfit for the road.'

He just turned round to us and says, "Don't drive it, it's a fire risk."

'The sheriffs champ at the bit to get her money back.'

I'm here to collect an amount of £5,298.41.

It needs to be paid cash, debit or credit card.

'And sheriff Pete makes his third visit to a road services company.'

-Not on camera again.

-That's your choice, but I'm coming in anyway.

'The sheriffs will take on the recovery of any debt against any business.

'But in a country where every Englishman, not to mention Welshman's, home is his castle,

'it's not a surprise that one industry they visit more than most is builders.

'This morning, it's been a early start to beat the rush hour for sheriffs Kev and Lawrence.

'They're heading to East Anglia

'en route to their first job of the day,

'a visit to a construction company to collect a substantial sum of money.'

We're on our way to Stowmarket in Suffolk now, to a company called Temple Anglia Limited.

We've got a High Court writ. Half past eight-ish now.

We're not very far away.

'The people they're on their way to help

'are Fred Rich and Adrian Butcher.

'They bought a house in East Sussex

'which they wanted to double as a workspace for their enamel designing business.'

The house had potential for a reasonable-size extension,

and rather than trying to adapt something that was already there,

we liked the idea of actually starting relatively from scratch

to design the working accommodation the way we wanted it.

And this property really fitted the bill.

'Working with an architect, they designed the house the way they wanted it

'and got planning permission for their project.

'All they needed now to turn their dream into reality was a builder,

'which is where Andrew Parkinson came in.'

A good friend of ours who we've known through work for many, many years

recommended Andrew Parkinson as a possible builder.

We did everything that you should do,

we went on recommendation,

we inspected the work from a previous client of his

and we got a detailed contract.

'Mr Parkinson inspected the house and the designs

'and they agreed a price of £96,215,

'just within Fred and Adrian's budget.

'A contract was drawn up, signed

'and Fred and Adrian paid the first £20,000 stage payment.

'But no sooner had work started than problems began to emerge.

'When Fred and Adrian saw the tiles in their contract, they thought they'd breach planning permission.

'Soon after, the builder wanted more money

'to deal with asbestos in the garage ceiling,

'which Fred and Adrian said they warned him of before the contract had been signed.

'Raising their concerns, they didn't find Mr Parkinson's responses reassuring.'

There was a string of little things all the time,

and then every time... We were expressing our concerns to him quite a lot.

It wasn't being poo-poohed, but there was no, kind of, pacifying us or helping us along,

saying, "No, don't worry, don't worry, it'll be fine," none of that at all.

'Without any reassurance from Mr Parkinson

'and with costs rising, other problems were emerging.

'Fred and Adrian invited their architect back to look at the work being done.'

The architect went outside to see the brick work

and basically condemned it there and then,

so that really threw a spanner in the works,

because by then we were starting to get more and more worried and that really did not help.

He said that the walls would attract damp and all the rest of it.

We started to realise that there were certain things,

again, the costs were starting to escalate, the kitchen was going to cost more,

the roof was going to end up costing us more.

'But before they'd resolved these problems, Andrew Parkinson hit them with a bombshell.

'He said that VAT,

'which Fred and Adrian believed was included in the original contract price,

'would be a 20% addition to the £96,215 already agreed.'

It was during one of his rare site visits.

He came out with the point

that VAT was not included within our contract,

and that just completely floored us.

All the listings of all the works that were being carried out

listed the contract price at £96,250.

We had already paid the deposit totalling £20,000.

It wasn't £20,000 plus VAT.

We handed him the two cheques that came to £20,000

and he gladly accepted them and work commenced.

So when we asked him, where was the mechanism that collected this £19,000...

-Where was the VAT?

-Where's the mechanism to collect that?

-And, of course, he couldn't answer.

-I said to him,

"I just feel I've been hoodwinked, completely and utterly hoodwinked."

I think at that point, with all the smaller problems that we'd had,

we felt that we were just being taken for a ride, really.

'Mr Parkinson strenuously denies this

'and says the VAT issue was not decided by the court.

'It was, however, the last straw for Fred and Adrian.

'Unhappy at the standard of work and the rising costs,

'Fred and Adrian made their feelings clear.

'Andrew Parkinson then refused to work under the terms of the contract,

'so the project ground to a halt.

'With the job unfinished, they'd paid out £20,000,

'but wanted the money back.

'They tried to negotiate a solution with Andrew Parkinson,

'but a satisfactory settlement proved elusive.'

We sort of kept giving him the opportunity to give us

the information that we needed to move forward,

he was clearly not having any of that, so in the June we said,

"Unless we hear from you by the end of the month, we'll be taking the matter to court."

'After months of legal proceedings, Fred and Adrian agreed

'a £12,000 out-of-court settlement with Andrew Parkinson.'

He agreed to pay us money back and we thought,

"Fine, that draws a line and we can move on."

Of course, we never received any money.

The money was due to be paid over a period.

We never received a penny.

'With no payment forthcoming, Fred and Adrian went back to court

'and got a judgment ordering Andrew Parkinson to pay them £12,000.

'Despite this, they've still not received anything from him.

'Their only hope now of seeing any of their money

'rests with Lawrence and Kev.

'Arriving at the address named on the writ,

'they're eager to get this enforcement started.'

DOORBELL RINGS / DOG BARKS

-It's stopped barking now.

-Mm.

Which normally means somebody's told it to stop barking. Dogs don't stop barking on their own.

There's somebody in.

'Apart from a dog, there doesn't appear to be anyone in,

'so Lawrence decides it's time for a spot of exploring.'

Let's see what we can see.

The office is in the back garden.

Have you had a look round the front? There's a kitchen. Have a look through the kitchen window.

The dog's in there. It's in the kitchen.

Right, have a look at the dog when I press the bell.

Go back and look at the dog

as I press the bell and see if it does anything.

'Lawrence has a hunch the dog may give away its owner's whereabouts.'

DOORBELL RINGS

Inspired, Sherlock.

It's locked in the kitchen.

HE KNOCKS ON DOOR

'But whatever the dog's doing, there's no sign of anyone being in.

'The sheriffs' options are limited.'

Let's retreat to the discretion of the van, then.

'There's nothing else to do but sit tight and wait to see if someone comes home.

'Later, we'll see what happens when the builder does return

'and he's less than pleased to meet the sheriffs.'

Give me some confirmation of who you are. I want some documentation.

What I suggest you do, sir, is just deal with it.

'Fred and Adrian's is just one of over 70,000 High Court writs

'executed by sheriffs in England and Wales every year.'

Today it will need to be dealt with.

'Anyone that manages to obtain a county court judgment of over £600

-'can upgrade it to the High Court to get a writ.'

-Good morning, sir.

'Once a writ is awarded, almost nothing can stop it.

'Even if a debtor appeals a writ,

'it won't stop the sheriffs collecting.'

This place, trust me, could be emptied in about an hour.

'Only a full court annulment can do that.

'These days, a High Court writ costs £60.

'If the sheriffs are successful, there's nothing more for the client to pay.

'If they're unsuccessful, the only cost is a £60 admin fee.'

Thank you.

'On the road and heading for Derbyshire

'are sheriffs Darryl Oreton and Mark Povey.

'They're paying a surprise visit to Danny Jackson,

'the boss of a company called Bonfield Horseboxes,

'looking to collect just over £5,000.

'But as it's the boss's home address they're going to,

'Darryl's aware this visit could prove tricky.'

Although it's a business name,

we're actually going to a residential property

and obviously, because it's residential,

most of the assets there are going to belong to him personally or him and his wife.

Not the company assets. But we'll see when we get there.

They may have something out the back, they may have a workshop

or some horseboxes on site, that's what we're hoping for.

But we won't know, obviously, until we get there.

'The sheriffs are attending on behalf of three very unhappy customers of Bonfield's,

'Janet and Beth Mercer from Durham and daughter Alice.

'11-year-old Alice is a hugely promising horse rider

'with realistic dreams of making it to the top of the dressage world.

'This requires considerable dedication from both Alice

'and her mother, GP nurse Beth.'

Riding's going to be her profession. I'm convinced it's going to be her profession.

We've been told Alice has something special

and we will do everything we can to give her that start in life.

I work six days a week and on the seventh day, she competes.

'Their problems began when Beth decided to purchase a horsebox wagon

'that could transport and sleep her, Alice and beloved pony Quiz

'as they travelled to riding competitions across the country.

'But instead of making the pursuit of their dream easier,

'it's left them out of pocket,

'forced to go to court and desperately in need of the sheriffs' help.'

You're just being nosy now, aren't you?

'Beth's search for a wagon brought her to Danny Jackson's Bonfield Horseboxes in Derby.

'Before visiting, she made sure to check their reputation first.'

I got in touch with Trading Standards, they had no issues with them,

so we thought that we were safe to go with this company.

'At Bonfield's lock-up,

'Beth found a horsebox which was exactly what she was looking for.

'She agreed to pay £4,500 for it

'on the condition some minor repairs were carried out as part of the deal.'

It was a used wagon, it wasn't going to be perfect.

There was about eight things that needed doing and it was the electrics checked, a bit of welding.

He actually stated in an email that they would do all this before they delivered the wagon to us.

Go on, then, missus.

'But when the vehicle arrived, it was clear all was far from well.'

They arrived, parked it, got out, here's the papers, and went.

Never had a chance to look at it or anything like that.

A matter of five minutes he was there and went.

I came in from work, looked at it and I went, "He's got to be joking."

'None of the minor repairs that were supposed to have been carried out as part of the sale

'had been done, even though Bonfield's had promised they would be in writing.

'Annoyed, Beth tried to call them to complain

'but no-one would pick up the phone to explain why the faults hadn't been fixed.

'Urgently needing the vehicle to move Quiz,

'she was forced to drive it anyway.

'Then, on one of Beth's first drives with it, disaster struck,

'as another far more serious fault became apparent.'

As I was coming down the hill, the lights just went and I thought, "What the heck?"

I slammed the brakes on and the lights came back on.

I thought it was a loose connection.

But we steadily lost lights.

I mean, the last half mile, I drove home with absolutely no lights, pitch black.

I've never had a journey like it.

I don't know how we didn't end up down the ditch, but we got it back.

The mechanic came out, looked at it and said, "Give us the keys, don't start it, don't touch it."

'The mechanic proceeded to examine the horsebox

'and gave Beth and Janet some devastating news.

'In its present state, it was fit only for the glue factory.'

And he just said, "It's just beyond repair, really."

Wires had been pieced together. Instead of rewired, wires had been pieced together

and one of the joined pieces was touching.

He just turned round to us and says,

"Don't drive it, it's a fire risk."

He said, "You could just get down the road and everything will go up in flames."

I was really quite angry

that he could let me drive a vehicle with my daughter in,

with my mother in and also with a pony.

I mean, the pony's as much a part of the family, as well, you know.

'With the horsebox effectively written off,

'Beth and Janet wrote to Mr Jackson demanding he take back the vehicle and give them a full refund.

'He replied once, asking what vehicle they were referring to,

'then failed to respond to any further calls or emails.

'With Danny Jackson continuing to ignore their letters,

'Beth and Janet's only option was to take Bonfield's to court.'

I felt so angry. It makes you even more determined

to take it to the end and get back what you're owed.

'When the case went to court,

'Mr Jackson admitted there were faults with the wagon

'and agreed to pick up, repair and sell the vehicle

'to pay Beth's money back.

'If he hadn't sold it within 90 days,

'he promised to start paying off the debt at £600 a month instead.

'But then, as months passed, nothing happened.

'No money was paid and he failed to pick up the horsebox.'

I don't know how he goes to bed and sleeps at night. I don't know how he can do it. I couldn't.

'Beth and Janet's last hope of getting their money back

'now rests on sheriffs Darryl and Mark's shoulders.

'When they arrive at Danny Jackson's home, the driveway's full of vehicles,

'including what they hoped for, a horsebox.

'If it's owned by Bonfield's, they can seize it if no payment's forthcoming.

'So they make sure it's blocked in by their van.

'No-one's answering the door,

'but Darryl manages to raise business owner Danny Jackson through an open window.'

I'm an enforcement officer.

I've got a High Court writ to execute against Bonfield Horseboxes on behalf of Beth Mercer.

I'm here to collect an amount of £5298.41

or to seize goods to the value of.

Needs to be paid, cash, debit or credit card.

I think you do, sir.

This is a woman that you sold a faulty horsebox to.

'A few minutes later, Danny Jackson comes back

'and asks Darryl and Mark to leave.'

No, we won't be leaving, sir.

Vehicles will be seized if the amount isn't paid within the hour.

Any which will cover the debt.

Any which will cover the debt and costs.

-What about the truck?

-Sorry?

-What about the horse truck.

You got any proof, documentation for that?

Do you want to grab that for us?

'While Danny Jackson goes looking for his documentation,

'Darryl heads to the back of the house.

'Sheriffs are legally entitled to enter a residential property named in a writ

'through an unlocked door or window,

'and Darryl finds that the back door isn't locked.

'He takes his chance to enter.'

Is it Mr Jackson, is it?

Do you have proof of purchase on any of the vehicles, as well,

not just the log book?

'Mr Jackson is not at all happy about Darryl being in his house

'and decides to take emergency action.'

Yes, I want the police, please.

-Yes, I've got a team of blokes round here...

-Enforcement officers.

-Enforcement officers. They forced themselves in the house.

-We didn't force our way in.

Yeah, but I want police assistance.

Because he just pushed himself in the house.

It's the first I've heard of it.

It's not the first you've heard of it, sir.

'With the police now on their way, Darryl and Mr Jackson get back to the matter in hand.'

-What do you want off me? Proof of what?

-We want payment.

-I ain't got payment.

-Is there anyone that can help you out with it today?

-Sorry?

-Is there anybody that can help you out with it today?

-No, because I didn't know you were coming.

-Do you want to make a few phone calls?

At this time in the morning, who am I going to ring up?

I don't know your circumstances, but at this time, you owe the money.

'Mr Jackson says he can't afford to pay the debt

'as he's been out of work for two years due to ill health.

'He insists Bonfield Horseboxes is an old trading name

'which has nothing to do with any assets on his property not even the horsebox.'

We need to get the money raised or goods are going to be seized.

Do you know anyone that can put this on a credit card for you?

Nothing on this premises belongs to Bonfield Horseboxes.

We've got down from Companies House that it's trading from this address. So as far as we're concerned,

goods on this premises are owned by Bonfield Horseboxes.

Not so. Because it's not a registered business.

Do you want to make some phone calls and try and get some money raised? We'll take a debit or credit card.

-I can't do it. I can't get £5,000.

-You need to get proof of purchase on the vehicles, then. The horsebox...

'Mr Jackson will need to prove the vehicles on the property

'don't belong to Bonfield Horseboxes.

'But while he sets about doing that, on the other side of the house...'

-I think the police are here.

-'Darryl heads out to talk to the boys in blue.'

-Hello, sir.

-We're enforcement officers.

We've got a High Court writ against Bonfield Horseboxes.

Obviously, we're just trying to get this money raised or seize goods to the value of.

-He's saying nothing here belongs to Bonfield.

-Right.

'Darryl knows he's operating legally on the property

'and that the police are only likely to help him.

'Mr Jackson, however, is hopeful that the long arm of the law will be on his side.'

-Morning.

-Hello, how are you?

-All right, are you?

-Yeah.

-It's a dispute about a horsebox.

-So this Bonfield are the company?

-Bonfield Horseboxes.

-Is that your own company?

Yes, but... Well, it was, like, yeah.

-I sold out two years ago. But I didn't know...

-Right, OK.

'Mr Jackson explains his side of the situation to the police,

'but there's nothing they can do to help him.

'But even though the law's on Darryl's side, he's running into problems.

'Mr Jackson won't pay

'and Darryl can't prove anything on the property definitely belongs to Bonfield Horseboxes.'

-I think he owns that, but I can't prove it.

-No.

'The police depart as there's nothing more they can do.

'But before he follows them, Darryl wants to make one last attempt to convince Mr Jackson to pay up.'

The debt's not going to go away. It needs to be paid.

It can be paid in full or it can be paid over instalments.

We can take a credit card. We've got a PDQ machine.

I can give you a credit card, but there's nothing that can come out of it, I can tell you that.

Cos, you know, I just haven't got the money.

'With Mr Jackson still refusing to pay,

'Darryl decides to carry out a walking possession,

'seizing what assets he can on paper.

'They technically belong to the court now.

'If Mr Jackson can't prove they don't belong to Bonfield Horseboxes in the next five days,

'then the sheriffs might need to remove and auction them.'

What we'll have to do, we'll leave you with some paperwork.

Like I say, the debt's not going to go away, it's only going to increase if we have to call out again.

I've been up there...

'Mr Jackson wants to tell us his side of the story.

'He says he tried to abide by the court judgment and went to Durham to collect the horsebox

'with a view to selling it to pay back the Mercers.

'But he says the landowner where it's currently parked wouldn't let it go.'

We went up there twice, total of 250 there, 1,000 miles we've done trying to get it

and the bloke would not release it.

'All Darryl can do is reflect on a testing visit.'

Not the greatest of calls. It wasn't brilliant from the offset, really.

Company at home address, never great.

Hopefully this bit of pressure today will make him go and get the vehicle back, get it sold

and then Miss Mercer will get the full money that she's owed.

'Thankfully for Beth and Janet, Darryl was right.

'It seems their surprise visit was enough to inspire a change of heart from Mr Jackson.

'He later agreed to pay in full

'and has now also picked up the horsebox.

'Finally, the delighted Mercer family can now move on from their ordeal.'

I think the sheriffs going out made him take notice of the fact that we weren't going to go away.

He did then actually get in touch with the court

and then offered to pay the full balance.

Hopefully, Alice will be able to get out and compete a bit more,

cos I'm not going to be working six days a week.

-Extremely good result.

-Yeah.

-But we wouldn't have got it without the sheriffs.

-Absolutely.

HE KNOCKS AT DOOR

'Back in Suffolk, sheriffs Lawrence and Kev are still waiting for builder Andrew Parkinson,

'boss of Temple Anglia Limited.

'They're looking to collect over £14,000,

'including interest, court and sheriff fees,

'on behalf of Fred Rich and Adrian Butcher

'following a dispute over a building project they'd paid out £20,000 for.

'Finally, half an hour later,

'an expensive-looking car pulls up on the drive

'and things are looking up. It's time for some introductions.'

Hello, sir. I'm looking for Temple Anglia Limited.

It's not here? My name's Mr Grix, I'm a enforcement officer.

I've got a High Court writ to execute against Temple Anglia and this is the address we've been sent to.

The total outstanding at the moment is £14,225.74.

'It's the director of Temple Anglia Limited, Andrew Parkinson.

'He insists there are no assets at the property relating to the company.

'He says the sheriffs have come to his home address

'that has nothing to do with the business

'and they have no right to be there. Lawrence disagrees.'

I can be sent to any address in England and Wales where it's believed the defendant has assets.

You're a director of the company so you can deal with this,

because you are a director, so you're refusing to deal with it.

'With Mr Parkinson not interested in paying the debt,

'Lawrence's interest shifts to one asset he can't deny is there.

'The car he arrived in.'

So the Jaguar is yours personally? Have you got proof of that, sir?

Otherwise we'll be seizing that today.

'He repeats that there are no company assets at the property.'

You need to prove it, sir.

'He threatens to call the police if Lawrence doesn't leave his premises.'

OK, call the police. Go and block the drive, Kev.

We'll clear it up when the police arrive.

'With Andrew Parkinson fuming, our camera withdraws to the street

'so as not to enflame the situation further.

'With the Jag safely blocked in, Kev calls the office to check its ownership

'while a clearly riled Mr Parkinson tries to convince the police

'they should intervene and make the sheriffs leave his property.

'Determined to get Fred and Adrian's money,

'Lawrence and Kev are standing firm.'

-Do an HPI on that?

-Yeah, please.

Hi, Kathy, it's Kev. Can you do an HPI for us, please?

'With the law on his side, Lawrence tries to reason with Mr Parkinson

'not to waste police time.'

This is the address on the writ.

Our only interest at the moment is the vehicle.

If you'd proved that you own that personally, we'd have been gone ten minutes ago

and there'd have been no cause to call the police.

'When the office calls back, it's not the news Lawrence and Kev were hoping for.

'The car's nothing to do with the business named on the writ.'

All right, Kathy. Thanks very much. Bye.

-It's on finance.

-Is it? He's gone to get us the proof now, now we've had the call.

'It's frustrating for the sheriffs.

'With the debtor saying he won't pay and with the car on finance

'and therefore not seizable, there's not much more they can do today to get Fred and Adrian's money back.'

We've got too many miles to do.

'As they prepare to leave, Mr Parkinson decides to come out

'and continue the debate on the street.'

We've had confirmation that it's on finance.

You might want to call the police so you're not wasting their time.

-Can you give me some

-BLEEP

-confirmation of who you are?

I've got some paperwork for you, sir, actually.

-There you go, sir.

-Thank you very much. You're not entitled...

-Yes, we are. Yes, we are.

-This is not the registered address.

-We know what our job requires.

It doesn't matter whether it's the registered office or not. This is the address on the writ.

'Lawrence offers him some legal advice.'

What I suggest you do, sir, is just deal with it.

It's not going to go away, it's a High Court writ.

Let me tell you something. I am dealing with it, cos in a week, the company won't exist.

'If Mr Parkinson carries through with this threat

'and dissolves Temple Anglia Limited, the company named on the writ,

'it's likely to prove a body blow to Fred and Adrian's chances of getting their money back.

'As the sheriffs depart, his refusal to deal with the company's debt

'has left Lawrence far from happy.'

There were no assets to take. He said he's dealing with it

because in a week's time, the company won't exist,

which is a typical way out for a lot of companies in this day and age.

It's... You know, it's disgraceful

the way limited companies are allowed to run up loads of debts and just fold.

It shouldn't be allowed. They should tighten up on it.

'It's not the outcome Fred and Adrian were hoping for,

'but the sheriffs won't be giving up and will now investigate other places

'Mr Parkinson's company may have assets.

'Andrew Parkinson told us that he contested Fred and Adrian's court claim

'and that all parties had agreed to dispute resolution.

'He said it had been a commercial decision on his behalf to agree a settlement.

'He denies there was anything wrong with the work he carried out

'and vigorously disputes that the contract amount agreed

'was ever inclusive of VAT.

'He said he is currently working with his accountants

'to settle the agreed claim of £12,000.'

Give it the bailiff knock. HE KNOCKS ON DOOR

'For most people, one encounter with the sheriffs is more than enough

'to make them realise it's better to pay up the money they owe before it gets to that stage.'

-Come on, then, get it.

-Yeah? There you go. I'll write you out a receipt.

'But today, sheriffs Pete Spencer and Dave Lockwood

'are going back to the same company for the third time.'

We're on our way to Southern UK Road Services,

just outside Manchester.

The total due today is £1,303.95

and he's been in a payment plan to pay monthly

and he's failed his payment plan, that's why we're returning today,

to potentially remove goods to the value of or to collect the balance in full.

'In our last series, Pete had two separate encounters with Mr Wrigley,

'director of a company called Southern UK Road Services.

'They were there on behalf of a former employee, Leslie Stonier,

'whom a court ruled had been unfairly dismissed by the company.

'A judge awarded her £8,500.

'When Southern UK Road Services failed to pay,

'Leslie turned to the sheriffs for help.'

Listen, I'm a director of the company. I'm now asking you to leave the premises.

-Phone the police.

-I will do!

-OK.

-OK.

-That's fine.

Explain to them when you do phone them that we've seized goods. OK?

I've got a writ to attend here and that's why I'm on the premises.

'Pete found Mr Wrigley a somewhat tricky customer.'

So we're not here, really, to even enter a discussion about how much. It's full payment or remove.

'Pete's tough negotiating meant their second stand-off ended

'with Mr Wrigley paying half the money owed to Leslie Stonier in one lump sum.

'Since then, further payments have been made,

'but these haven't continued as agreed.

'With the debt also rising through interest and fees,

'Pete is now going back for act three,

'to get this debt settled once and for all.'

He won't be given a final option now to catch up with a payment plan.

He's failed that and that's been his last option now.

'Unlike most of their visits, Pete knows the layout of this premises like the back of his hand

'and can plan accordingly.'

There's a locked gate which has got barbed wire on the top.

We may have to get a locksmith to effect entry for us.

Might have a problem getting in this morning.

Erm, but we'll see how we go.

'As they arrive, Pete's prediction is proved right.'

The gate is shut so we will have to give them a call.

Hiya, good morning, it's Mr Spencer. I've been before.

Is there one of the directors that I could speak to?

Are you the guy I spoke to last time when we did the payment?

OK, thanks. There we go.

He's gone to see if he can find the director, so he's obviously on site,

so we'll just wait and see if he appears or rings me back.

'As they wait, a man comes out of the office

'and introduces himself as the company accountant.'

That's going to have to be paid today or else we are removing goods.

'He tells Pete Southern UK Road Services only has £30 in its account,

'somewhat less than the outstanding debt that they're there to collect.'

I need to come in and see him, anyway. So if we can come in and see him...

'Pete is less than convinced.'

A big company like this has no way got £30 in an account.

Hopefully.

'As they park up, the accountant disappears back into the office.'

I guarantee his door will be locked.

Came out of the front door, locked it behind him and he's locked it again now,

so I'm going to have to tell them that they need to let us in

otherwise we'll be getting locksmith.

'The door opens to reveal a familiar face,

'company director Mr Wrigley,

'who has good reason to remember Pete and our camera.'

-Not on camera again.

-That's your choice,

but I'm coming in anyway today whether you let me in or not.

Not on camera, OK? Cos I've...

'We're told to wait outside while Pete gets on with the familiar task

'of putting the squeeze on Mr Wrigley.'

Obviously, you've failed your monthly agreement, by the sounds of it.

'Inside, Mr Wrigley is adamant he can't pay any money

'and says Pete will just have to wait.

'He also says the majority of the equipment in the yard

'is leased through a third party and so can't be seized.

'This isn't good enough for Pete.

'He tells his favourite customer it's payment in full or removal of goods.'

You tell me what you paid for them and I'll work out a rough idea.

'The only question is, will there be enough seizable assets in the yard

'that do belong to the company to cover the debt?

'Removing goods itself is expensive but Pete certainly won't be paying for this himself.

'Instead, these fees will be added to the debt they're there to collect.'

It's going to be probably three, four, five, six,

seven, eight.

Eight traffic lights generators

and probably some road cones.

The one in there's going. The one they've put on charge that he said is going out, it's not going anywhere.

'With Mr Wrigley forced to accept his goods are being removed

'and realising this time no excuses are going to prevent it,

'he decides he's seen enough of Pete.

'For today's visit, anyway.

'With Pete satisfied there's more than enough assets inside,

'it's time to call the tow truck.'

It's well after three o'clock. We've probably been here

about three hours now, three and a half hours.

The director's disappeared.

He says just take whatever we need to take.

He's planning on paying in full tomorrow. He's got five days.

So what we've done is we've seized a forklift truck,

some battery-operated traffic lights,

a trailer and a couple of LED screens.

'If necessary, these can now be sold

'to clear what's still left of Southern UK Road Services' debt to Leslie Stonier.'

Hopefully, he's going to pay in full and that'll be all sorted.

'For Pete, with a truck full of assets, it's a case of third time lucky.'

With a cost today of removing, additional auction inventory fee, as well,

the total he needs to pay is £2,794.79.

He did say before he left he would be paying tomorrow

and he would be getting the goods back tomorrow once he's paid in full,

so we'll just have to wait and see if he pays in full

or the items, in five days, go into the auction to recover the outstanding amount.

That's a job well done today.

'On their way to another date with a debtor are sheriffs Lawrence and Kev.

'Today, they're heading into Kent.'

We've got a writ to enforce against a Mr Lee Hudson.

We're looking to collect just under £3,500.

The claimant is a Ms Nicola Morgan.

'Nicola Morgan paid Lee Hudson

'to carry out work on her kitchen and bathroom.

'She was less than happy at the results, though,

'and the matter eventually ended up in court.

'Mr Hudson didn't attend the hearing

'and the judge awarded in Nicola's favour.

'She's had some of the money back but is still several thousand pounds short.

'Which is what Lawrence and Kev are at Lee Hudson's house to collect.

'They park up outside and head in to see if they can find him.'

-Show me ID, mate.

-Enforcement officers, not actually bailiffs. We've got a High Court writ.

We're looking for £3,444.06.

-We're ordered here to seize goods to that value today if you can't pay in full.

-Oh.

-You're not aware of...

-No. I know Nicola Morgan

but I didn't know there was any court thing against it or anything.

-But you know you owe her money.

-Yeah, but we run a bathroom company.

-We're going through the motions.

-Yeah.

Can this be resolved in any other way?

No, it needs to be paid in full, mate. We can give you a little bit of time now.

-We're not talking days or anything like that.

-How much was it?

-Just under three and a half.

-No prior warning to this?

-No, we don't.

-Obviously, if you don't know anything about this, you owed the money...

'Mr Hudson might not be sure about how much he knows about the case,

'but he is sure that there are no assets in his house that the sheriffs can seize.'

-There's nothing in my name here. It's all in

-BLEEP

-name.

-Who's that, your other half?

-My other half, yeah.

-Erm...

-I ain't got nothing.

-Basically, what it is, there's a CCJ against you.

-Yeah.

-OK?

'At this point, we're asked to leave the premises.

'Lawrence and Kev, however, continue their discussions with Mr Hudson inside.

'Time for a lesson in how the High Court system works.'

If the judge orders that you pay in 14 or 28 days,

if you haven't paid by that time,

technically you're in contempt of court.

Is Bigg'in Bathrooms a limited company?

If it was a limited company and she'd done you as a director and it should've been against the company,

then you might have some recourse to get it changed, but because it's you as a sole trader...

'Things aren't looking good for Mr Hudson.

'The writ's in his name personally,

'so anything the sheriffs can link to him is potentially seizable.

'To ram home the point, Lawrence gets listing assets.'

We'll do an inventory of stuff here.

This is just saving time because we basically charge £181.50 an hour waiting time, plus VAT.

You get your first hour, but if the money didn't come through

and then it took us another hour to inventory after that, it'd cost you even more money.

'Faced with the sheriffs listing his assets,

'Mr Hudson realises he's got no choice but to find a way to pay up.

'Lawrence checks in with the office to see if payment has been made.'

The bank apparently have faxed us over

the confirmation of payment.

Would you be able to go and check the fax for me? Cheers.

Lovely. All right. Thanks very much.

'The payment has gone through.

'Lawrence is thoroughly pleased with his morning's work.'

We've collected in full, so we walked in,

they were aware of the debt,

had to contact a relative who transferred the money into the account.

So it's another paid in full.

'The money in full means Nicola finally getting what she was owed all along.

'Lee Hudson told us that the majority of refurbishment work he carried out for Nicola Morgan

'was completed to her satisfaction.

'He said the only dispute was over the kitchen work,

'the delays to which were caused by factors outside his control.

'He said he offered to finish the work, but was asked not to by Nicola.

'He said he tried to contest the case

'but was unable to attend court due to illness.

'And he said he is currently in the process

'of bringing his own legal action regarding the matter.

'Since Lawrence and Kev's visit to Andrew Parkinson in Suffolk,

'Fred and Adrian have paid out once again

'to have their house and workspace built,

'and now have the extension they always wanted.

'And despite saying they would pay off their debts the next day

'to get back their removed assets,

'Southern UK Road Services didn't.

'As the assets are too big to move easily,

'they're currently being sold by an auction house online

'to raise funds to pay off the debt

'so Lesley Stonier can finally get the money she's owed.'