Episode 12 The Sheriffs Are Coming

-Meet the sheriffs.

-Let's introduce ourselves.

I'm a High Court enforcement officer. We're here to execute a 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 to turn...

-I'm not waiting any more.

I'm ordered to seize goods to clear this debt, which means 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!

..the High Court enforcement officers are charged by law

-to recover what a court says is rightfully yours.

-I've seized your car, sir.

-Let us through the door or we'll go through the window.

-Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!

-It's time to call the sheriffs.

-We've just collected 42 grand.

Coming up...

Pub landlord Graham Short paid £10,000 for wind turbines

which didn't work.

They weren't generating enough electricity to power a light bulb.

Can the sheriffs get him the money he's owed?

Anastasia Gill was promised £1,000

for her half share of a breeding horse

but hasn't received a penny.

I think he just wanted to ignore me.

"This silly little blonde will just forget about me."

That wasn't going to happen.

The sheriffs saddle up to get her her money back.

We're here today to seize goods to the value of £1,882 and 63 pence.

And sheriff Pete's got bad news for an aircraft company

that hasn't paid up its debts.

You won't be able to leave. I've just seized this aircraft.

For regular sheriff partners Marc Newton and Tony Smith,

it's a very early start this morning

and Tony, for one, is feeling the lack of sleep.

-I'll just put the heating on.

-It's not even cold!

I'm a little bit chilly. I'm getting old, mate.

I'm getting old. I've had no tea or coffee.

Stop moaning! You could've come to my room for a cup of tea.

The sun's not up, but the sheriffs are already on their way to their first job of the day.

And it's a big one.

We're off to a residential address in Bideford, Devon.

We're looking for the amount of £13,500

from a company called Smart Power Products Ltd.

I believe that this is the director's address.

Hopefully, he's got some company assets there

or he runs the company from there.

The person they're trying to help is pub landlord Graham Short,

from Dartmoor in Devon.

When he paid to install wind turbines on his pub roof,

Graham thought he would be doing his bit to save the planet, while also saving money.

Instead, it's cost him thousands,

left him forced to go to court and relying on the sheriffs for help.

He's put the nail in the coffin for renewable energy, as far as I'm concerned.

I am very, very annoyed.

Well, furious.

You get to a point when you think, "Why did I even bother to do this?"

Graham's troubles started when he decided that, given his pub's remote location,

it needed a back-up power supply.

Being on the edge of Dartmoor, having notorious power cuts in the winter,

we needed a back-up system which would keep our gas operation system going

because as soon as the electric cuts out, the gas cuts out.

His search for a new energy system

brought him to self-styled wind turbine expert

Rupert Sweet-Escott,

who claimed to have the perfect solution,

one which was not only green, but would also, he said,

considerably reduce the running costs of the pub.

We were advised by Mr Escott of Smart Power Products

that we could save up to 25-30%

of our electricity bills across the year.

In this economic climate, you've got to save every penny you can.

If the wind is blowing and producing free energy

for me to use to stay open me, that's brilliant.

Impressed by the figures and by the design of the wind turbine chimneys,

Graham was eager to go ahead.

He paid Mr Sweet-Escott £5,000 up front

to get on with installing them on his pub roof.

There'll be two towers, looking like chimneys,

on top of the existing roof.

He was delighted to have solved his electricity problems

in such a cost-effective and environmentally-friendly way.

He seemed a very knowledgeable person,

the sort of person that knew what they were talking about

and could supply you with a product that was going to work.

I thought I was going to be happy, it's going to be up and running, all singing and dancing and lovely.

But as months passed, Mr Sweet-Escott failed to start the job,

blaming a series of problems for the delays.

Finally, after a whole year, work commenced,

with Mr Sweet-Escott installing his revolutionary turbines himself,

as shown in these photos.

Graham paid another £5,000 for the hardware.

But when the installation was complete,

the long-awaited wind turbines were far from the mean, green

electricity-generating machines he'd been promised.

Basically, they never worked from day one.

They'd vibrate and the wind would catch between the blades.

It was similar to a Chinook helicopter going overhead.

There'd be a strong "thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud..."

That would be constant all day long. That's all you would hear.

The main issue was the fact that they just didn't work.

We had them tested out

and they weren't even generating enough electricity to power a light bulb.

Rupert Sweet-Escott tried several times, without success,

to fix the problems with the turbines.

Becoming convinced his explanations for why they weren't working were nothing more than hot air,

Graham had reached the end of his tether.

He turned up, he'd do something, it still wasn't right.

He'd turn up and do something else, it still wasn't right.

So then I contacted him by email

and said, "Look, enough is enough. I want these things taken down."

After talking to the Citizens Advice Bureau,

Graham rejected the turbines as being unfit for purpose

and demanded a full refund.

Wind turbines are supposed to generate electricity.

They didn't generate electricity.

Not fit for purpose - you get your money back.

Cut and dried.

He did acknowledge the fact that they didn't work

and the fact he did owe me my money back

and was intending on paying my money back.

Graham wanted his ill-fated foray into renewal energy

to come to an end.

Mr Sweet-Escott agreed to take back his noisy turbines

and return Graham's full payment.

However, with the turbines gone, Graham's still waiting for his money.

All I have left is an empty roof.

My bit towards renewable energy and a greener environment is gone,

and I'm £11,000 worse off for it.

Graham's only option left was to take him to court.

When the case was heard, Mr Sweet-Escott failed to contest it

and the court ordered he pay Graham £11,280.

But since then, he's ignored the court's judgment and still failed to pay up.

Now it's down to Marc and Tony to pay him a visit

and ask for the money in person.

It's still dark when the sheriffs arrive at Mr Sweet-Escott's house.

They go and knock on the door.

GATE CREAKS

That's quite loud.

-DOG BARKS

-There you go. That's their dog.

Marc's knocking has woken up a dog, but no-one's answering the door.

And he's noticed something else

that suggests they may have had a wasted journey.

-I'm hoping they're not away. There's mail piled up.

-Oh, is there?

-Yes.

-They might have someone come in and let the dog out.

-They could do.

There's a pile of mail on the side that big.

There's no movement at all.

I really don't think there's anybody in.

With no signs of life from inside,

their only play is to list goods which may belong to Rupert Sweet-Escott

and leave him a notice of seizure.

They start with the vehicles parked back down the hill.

Marc generously nominates Tony for this.

-Do you want to run down the stairs and...?

-Run back up?

-Yes!

Go on. You need the training. It's good for you.

Then suddenly, Marc hears something.

Oh, here, Tone. There's someone here now.

Hello. I'm after...

..erm, Smart Power Products Ltd.

It's about an outstanding High Court writ.

It's the man they need to speak to - Rupert Sweet-Escott.

He invites the sheriffs in

but tells our camera to stay outside.

Marc gets straight to the point.

With additional interest, court and sheriffs' fees, the bill has gone up.

It's about a High Court writ that's been issued for £13,500...

We have to start removing stuff if you can't...

That's what we're here to do. How much could you do?

Mr Sweet-Escott offers to pay them £500.

With over £13,000 outstanding,

this isn't going to work for Marc and Tony.

You're going to need to pay at least half.

We really should collect the full amount.

We have to execute the writ.

Because of your circumstances, well, we need to take half.

We understand it's quite a large amount to pay up in one lump.

Mr Sweet-Escott maintains he can't afford to pay.

We need to get at least half of this or we'll have to remove goods.

Have you got anyone that could help you out?

With the sheriffs keeping the pressure up,

Mr Sweet-Escott significantly ups his offer -

£3,000.

I'll do three grand now. Do you want to do it on the debit card?

We have to take an inventory of your goods.

-We won't take nothing, we just have to take an inventory.

-We have to take an inventory

to secure the debt.

I just need you to sign there to say we've listed them.

"Goods still in property, not removed."

Marc's tough stance has had the desired effect.

With night turning to day, they're leaving with money in the bank

and an offer from Sweet-Escott to settle the rest of the debt in monthly instalments.

We've got a quarter of the debt.

He's not happy, but, you know,

unfortunately, we've got the writ and he needs to pay that.

I wouldn't be surprised if, in the pile, there's the original court paperwork

that he's just not opened and done anything with.

If the defendant doesn't keep making payments as promised,

the sheriffs will be back to remove goods to cover the debt.

It's been a cracking morning's work for the sheriffs.

More importantly, it means Graham Short will finally get at least some of his money,

even if he'll have to look elsewhere for an alternative means of back-up power.

I'm glad the sheriffs have managed to see Mr Sweet-Escott

and retrieve some of my money, which is a start, I suppose.

I feel confident that I will get all the money eventually,

now the ball is rolling and the sheriffs are involved in the matter.

We will keep on top of it until we do get it all.

And since the sheriffs visited Mr Sweet-Escott's home,

he asked to put his side of the story,

saying the technology was experimental,

and early on he had offered a refund.

I accept the full blame and, you know, sorry.

Hands up, I'm sorry, Graham.

He did refuse a refund.

I said, "This product is not ready at this time,"

which, in my book, basically means that I can take my time, I can get it right.

This is the name of the game with the development of new products. It takes time.

Mr Sweet-Escott also explained

why he hadn't got the court paperwork earlier.

Nowadays, nobody reads the post. Everyone reads their inbox.

Er, the post is very 19th...

..you know, 20th century, isn't it?

Isn't it?

-Ready for action.

-Let's go, then.

Sheriffs enforce over 70,000 High Court writs every year,

and a sheriff never knows what he's going to encounter until he gets there.

Hello?

We're going round in circles. You do what you've got to do and I'll do what I've got to do.

Some are only too happy to pay up, whatever the size of the debt.

-We'll do it.

-Yes?

-Yes.

-Okey-dokey.

-OK.

-We'll leave you in peace.

-Lovely.

Others are not so happy.

You're not going to pay a penny? OK. We'll start removing goods, then.

Only sheriffs can execute High Court writs.

It gives them more powers than county court bailiffs

to enter properties and seize assets.

It is a last resort to force entry. Hopefully, they'll see sense and open the door.

The only way you can prevent further action is to pay in full.

If no payment is forthcoming, sheriffs can seize goods to auction, to pay off debts.

We'll have the silver Mazda and the BMW, and we've got the keys to move the blue Micra.

Removing goods is rare, happening in less than 1% of cases.

Hitting the open road today is the Northern Sheriff Brigade

of Pete Spencer, Dave Crabtree and Dave Lockwood,

en route to a rather unusual assignment.

We're on our way to Blackpool Airport,

a company called Aircraft Grouping Ltd.

They're visiting on behalf of Steve Halliwell,

who paid private plane syndicate firm Aircraft Grouping Limited £6,000

for a share in ownership of one of their aircraft.

When the company was unable to fix a fault in the plane,

Steve told them he was leaving the syndicate and demanded a refund.

After this request was ignored,

he took them to court to recover his money.

The company failed to contest the case

and a judge ordered them to pay him £6,313.

But since then, Steve hasn't received a penny.

Now Pete and his team are ready to deliver Aircraft Grouping a runway ultimatum -

pay up or the company's aircraft will be grounded, seized

and, if necessary, removed to cover the debt.

I've got a list of about eight planes that are meant to be situated at Blackpool Airport.

If we have to, we'll clamp the plane, remove the relevant information that we need.

The plane than becomes scrap value.

We'll notify the airport authorities that we've seized the plane

and request that they don't accept any flight plans for the aircraft.

Pete's no stranger to airport seizures.

That's one of the planes there.

When you're planning to seize assets worth hundreds of thousands of pounds,

you need to have your bases covered.

There's the notices, as well, for the pilots

that will go to the cockpits of the planes.

I've been to an airport before. I know the procedures.

It's pretty straightforward really.

Airports might be old hat to Pete,

but Dave Crabtree's excited about this visit...

Whee!

..and eager to get started.

The sign that says Blackpool Airport gives it away, doesn't it?!

Arriving at the airport,

Pete goes to show security the live High Court writ

and explains what they've come to do.

At this point, we're told to stop filming

and are refused permission to follow him airside.

And Dave Crabtree's forgotten something rather important

that means he can't go in either - a photo driving licence.

Unfortunately, I haven't brought the correct ID,

so I can't, if they need to go airside,

I can't get on a plane.

Bit disappointing, really, but there you go.

We continue filming from outside the airport fence,

as Pete and Dave Lockwood appear on the runway.

All Dave Crabtree can do is watch,

as they prepare for some high-level sheriffing.

It's very frustrating, yes!

Especially when they're in there and I'm out here and I can't...

..I can't do nothing.

With one of Aircraft Grouping's planes about to take off, Pete's arrived in the nick of time.

He's got some bad news for the pilot.

You're not going to be able to leave at the moment.

I've just seized this aircraft. I need the...

The registration documents can stay with the aircraft, but there's the insurance

and there's the certificate of... Yes.

That's been seized on the paperwork, so we...

There's two guys wanting to go for a lesson

and Pete has approached them and said they can't take a plane

because it's been seized till we sort the matter out.

Let me in!

The seizure and grounding of the aircraft certainly shows Pete means business.

At this point, a man emerges from a nearby Portakabin

and introduces himself as the duty manager of Aircraft Grouping Ltd.

I've got a High Court writ.

It's from the 19th of the ninth, for that total.

They moved it to High Court, which is where I'm attending from.

They're looking for £8,054 and 80 pence.

That's what I've come to collect. How would you like to pay?

The man invites the sheriffs in to discuss the situation.

Pete wastes no time in explaining what he's done

and what it means for the company's planes.

As you know, as soon as I remove the worthiness certificate, they become scrap value.

With well over £100,000 of aircraft now seized,

it's perfect leverage for Pete and a big problem for the manager.

He asks to make a phone call to let his boss, the owner,

know his prized fleet of planes are now the property of court.

20 minutes later, Pete and Dave Lockwood emerge,

having secured a promise from the owner to pay the full amount owed to Steve Halliwell.

But until the debt is settled,

three of Aircraft Grouping's planes will remain seized and grounded,

with the crucial aircraft documents coming with them as insurance.

It should be PLANE sailing from here onwards for Pete.

We've left the registration documents in the planes

and removed the maintenance documents, insurance documents

and the worthiness-of-flying documents, as well, which we'll send down to the office.

I think, ideally, what he's saying is,

it'll be paid within the next five days in full,

so that's what he's looking to do.

It's been a first-class piece of work from Pete.

With the aircraft paperwork now in his hands,

he'll either get Steve Halliwell his money or he'll get the planes themselves,

with a view to selling them to pay off the debt, if necessary.

Chocks away.

It's early in the morning

and Lawrence Grix and Kev McNally are heading out into the sticks

for their first job of the day.

Quarter to seven in the morning, erm,

and we're just coming into a little place called Bramley, in Hampshire.

It's a residential address, quite a nice one by all accounts,

and we're looking for a David Johnson.

We've got Mr David Johnson trading as Premier Youngstock.

He's some kind of horse dealer, I believe.

The latest person the sheriffs are trying to help

is aspiring horse-breeder Anastasia Gill from Surrey.

Anastasia trained as a lawyer

before deciding to follow her dream of turning a life-long hobby into a career.

I've loved horses all my life and have ridden since I was a child.

I don't sell every horse I create because I fall in love with them.

You sometimes have to separate the passion and the job.

It's hard.

When Anastasia purchased a horse jointly with a fellow breeder called David Johnson,

it was meant to be the first stage of a new and lucrative partnership.

But instead, she was left out of pocket

and relying on the sheriffs for justice.

Anastasia got to know David Johnson when she kept a number of her own horses at his stables.

This working relationship grew over several years,

to the point where they decided to buy a horse together and share its breeding rights.

Today, she's preparing to ride a friend's horse at a local stables.

But two years ago, Anastasia and Mr Johnson's search for a breeding horse

took them to a stable in Germany,

where they saw a mare that was perfect.

We found Ruby and decided that she was the one,

had a handshake and, er,

about two, three weeks later, she's in the UK

and we have ourselves a project.

Together, they paid 6,000 euros - approximately £5,000 -

for a horse called Ruby,

and agreed they would have alternating breeding years with her.

It was a simple arrangement

which Anastasia hoped would prove very successful in the years ahead.

And everything was going swimmingly

until a minor dispute about one of the other horses David Johnson was keeping for her

caused a rift between the two of them.

It was to do with money.

It was a very minor situation.

Erm... It should've been a disagreement,

which turned into a full-blown argument.

I'd never seen this side of him before.

I thought, "This is Jekyll and Hyde. I don't know this man. I can't trust this man."

With relations between them having broken down,

Anastasia decided their business partnership would have to come to an end.

I removed all my horses from his property within a fortnight.

However, I couldn't remove Ruby because it was his breeding year

and I didn't have the right to.

So she became a problem

and I decided I didn't want to be part of this

and I wanted the mare sold.

Anastasia visited David Johnson to resolve the situation.

He told her he wanted to keep Ruby and would buy her out of the joint ownership.

He agreed to pay £1,000 for her share of the horse.

I wasn't going to leave without having him sign a contract,

so that was written up.

Luckily, there and then, signed,

and I left feeling quite confident that we were both going to be happy.

But as months passed, no payment came through.

After her numerous phone calls and emails to Mr Johnson went ignored,

Anastasia decided to go back to his yard and confront him.

However, David Johnson proved in a rather forgetful mood.

He pretended to not know me and to not have ever seen me before

and told me I was trespassing on the land and that he would call the police.

Anastasia had no way of even finding out if Mr Johnson still had the horse,

which, since he'd not paid her, she still jointly owned.

I don't know if he's even still got her,

he could have sold her for all I know

because I am not allowed to go and check up on her.

Anastasia realised taking legal action against Mr Johnson

was the only avenue she had left.

It ends up winding you up and you get stressed and angry about things.

I think he just wanted to ignore me, you know,

"Silly little blonde will just forget about me or give up on me."

That wasn't going to happen.

When the case went to court, Mr Johnson failed to contest it

and a judge ordered him to pay Anastasia £1,150.

But since then, he's ignored the court's ruling

and failed to settle the debt.

Anastasia's last hope of seeing her money

now rests with the well-honed persuasive powers

of Lawrence and Kev.

It's a residential address.

Hopefully, at this time of day, we'll catch him in

and maybe he'll have a car, or something like that, that we can seize to force payment.

Lawrence is ready to use all his negotiation skills

to convince Mr Johnson he needs to pay up.

I reckon it's that one on the end. That looks more like a...

-No, it's this geezer, isn't it?

-It might be.

Locating the house, they park up and head in.

And early signs are looking good.

The windows are all open.

-That light did just come on, didn't it? Or was it on already?

-I couldn't see from where I was.

They're in. There's a light come on.

The TV's on standby and the windows are all open.

Lawrence and Kev can see activity inside,

but no-one seems to want to talk to them.

Nobody up at the windows, no?

No, nothing as yet.

-Oh, here we go.

-There's movement.

Somebody's just gone into the kitchen.

And a dog.

Oh, no. It's your turn to get bitten.

There's someone here.

Someone comes to the door,

but with our cameras in full view they're not keen on showing their faces.

Lawrence has the unusual task of conducting a conversation across a closed front door.

Hello. I'm looking for a David Johnson.

I'll show you some ID, sir.

I'm an enforcement officer. I'm here to execute a High Court writ.

We're here today to...

to seize goods to the value of £1,882.63

or collect payment in full.

To Lawrence's surprise, Mr Johnson suggests Lawrence takes the horse to settle the debt.

Unfortunately, sir, it's gone beyond that.

We're here to seize your goods, not hers.

If she's got a horse with you,

we can't take that because it belongs to her.

We're here to seize your goods or collect payment in full.

We've got your car blocked in.

We're looking to take the car and trailer at this point in time if we don't collect payment in full.

Seeming to want to show his lack of concern at the sheriffs' presence,

Mr Johnson then suggests

Lawrence and Kev help themselves to his car.

But as enticing an offer as this is, Lawrence would rather get hard cash

than go through the hassle of removing an old Volvo.

What I can say to you is, the money's held for 14 days. It's not dispersed.

So if there's something that you or your solicitor has got to do, with regards to the claimant...

Finally, ready to discuss the issue face-to-face,

Mr Johnson invites Lawrence and Kev inside,

although the invite doesn't extend to our camera.

Once inside, Mr Johnson comes out with something totally unexpected.

He admits he should've paid the debt earlier

and says he's more than happy to settle it here and now - no fuss, no bother.

Lawrence is only too pleased to accept.

Kev jumps at the chance of fetching the card machine.

A quick card transaction later, a photo for the files,

and it's job done for Lawrence and Kev -

a paid-in-full in less than 12 minutes.

-See how easy this job is!

-HE LAUGHS

Love those starts to the morning. Bosh! Get in!

Lawrence is understandably delighted.

Literally, we just went in there and, er,

he pulled out a card and paid us.

Absolutely simple as.

Very, very rarely do you get them as simple as that.

Whatever Mr Johnson's reasons, it's a great start to the day for Lawrence

and an even better one for Anastasia,

who finally has the money she was rightfully owed.

Her nightmare with the mare is over.

The news is that all my money - plus interest - has been recovered, which is fantastic news.

It was more about the principle than the money, if I'm honest with you.

I wanted to know that the horse was OK

and I have since found a person who knows both of us

to report to me that the mare is fine.

Everyone should know that the sheriffs exist and do this job fantastically well.

David Johnson told us that...

However, he said that when subsequently scanned by a vet,

Ruby hadn't been in foal at that time,

hence, he hadn't paid Anastasia.

..but reiterated he paid in full

when the sheriffs visited.

The issue of who owns what

-is one that sheriffs have to deal with all the time.

-It's not in his name.

It doesn't matter who they're registered to, it's who owns them. Why are they on your forecourt, then?

They can only seize what belongs to whoever's named on the writ.

Unsurprisingly, debtors aren't the most co-operative people

when it comes to helping establish ownership.

-They're still assets, belonging to the company.

-There isn't any assets.

With that in mind, sheriffs Darryl Oreton and Mark Povey are in the Midlands,

on their way to their latest enforcement.

This is an employment tribunal.

A gentleman's been unfairly dismissed

and he's taken the company to court.

Darryl's going in with a positive approach,

but this is a far-from-straightforward case, with no guarantee of success.

The company in question,

Level 1 Lincoln Ltd, is a security company,

providing doormen and security staff to venues and events.

Given the world they operate in, Darryl doesn't know what to expect when he gets there.

It may just be minimal, minimal assets of no value.

Until we get there, we're not going to realise that.

Keen to find out exactly what is there,

they park up and head in.

DOOR BUZZES

That's for your own security.

-Hello there.

-Hello.

-Enforcement officers.

-OK.

-Is it you I need to speak to?

-What's it about?

-I've got a High Court writ to execute against Level 1

on behalf of Mr A Cubbitson.

-Mr who, sorry?

-It's an employment tribunal case.

-Oh, right.

We've got a High Court writ, as I said.

I'm here to collect £8,900.

At this point, we're asked to stop filming.

The office staff, in the meantime, get in touch with boss Darren Maul,

who agrees to come down.

15 minutes later Mr Maul arrives in his BMW,

ready for a one-on-one face-off with Darryl.

All right there, sir?

The Clash of the Titans continues behind closed doors.

There's my ID. Enforcement officer.

We've got a High Court writ against yourselves, Level 1,

on behalf of Mr A Cubbitson.

It's an employment tribunal, isn't it?

They've sent us out for full payment or to seize goods to the value of.

Mr Maul says that the office came furnished

and everything inside belongs not to the company but to the landlord,

which happens to be him.

-Darryl asks for proof.

-I can't just take your word for that.

If you get me a receipt for that table and those six chairs, obviously we'd leave it.

Legally, it will go

unless you have got proof there to show us.

You've got an hour to provide it.

If it's not provided, third-party contractors are on standby for removal.

Moments later, Darryl comes outside to fill us in.

He's refusing to pay,

saying everything is owned by him, nothing to do with the company.

I'm going to ring the office now and find out what they want to do.

He's saying, you know, "If you want to get your vans down and do a removal,

"then go for it."

I just want to know how far I can really push this.

Darryl and the office agree they must follow procedure

and issue a notice of seizure

as the first step in this enforcement.

What assets are in the office will be the court's on paper,

but they'll stay on the premises for now.

Darryl suspects what assets there are

might not be worth the value of the debt anyway.

Darryl informs Mr Maul of the decision.

These are our contact details, either email or post.

Obviously, if we don't get the proof, we're going to be back. There's going to be more charges on.

It's a disappointing end for Darryl,

but there's still a chance they can get a result down the line.

The office are prepared to give him chance to provide proof of ownership for all the goods in there.

Although I believe they are owned by the company...

He's got five days. He's not going to pay it.

I'm sure we'll be back.

As Darryl predicted, despite the seizure notice,

no money was paid.

So 13 weeks later it was time for Round Two,

as he and Mark went back to Level 1 Lincoln Ltd

to remove the goods they'd listed.

It's a case of deja vu for both the sheriffs and our camera.

I need to speak someone.

Mr Maul isn't there and we're asked to leave.

Nothing's been resolved from when we came out last time.

We gave you five days to provide evidence.

Darryl's given the news that all sheriffs dread -

an invoice document proves all the goods do indeed belong, on paper, to Mr Maul personally.

Even worse, he's told the company that they're after has stopped trading

and a new one set up, with Darren Maul as its director,

which is now based in the same office.

So, what are we saying this is now?

They were looking for Level 1 Lincoln Ltd.

They found Level 1 Group Lincoln Ltd, a different company.

Unfortunately, this enforcement is now dead in the water

because as Level 1 Group Lincoln is a different company,

it has no connection to Level 1 Lincoln's debts.

It's exactly the outcome Darryl didn't want.

All the documentation there is Level 1 Group,

which no-one bothered to tell us

till we'd been in there for 45 minutes!

We're after Level 1 Lincoln Ltd,

so this ain't going nowhere.

Companies being wound up

while new companies are set up in the same premises with almost identical names

is something the sheriffs encounter all too frequently.

Millions of pounds of debts every year are written off

as companies cease trading, go into liquidation or are dissolved,

with Level 1 Lincoln being another such case.

For the sheriffs, it's frustrating,

but however much they want to get their client's money, they must always obey the law.

Today, sheriffs Lawrence and Kev are heading north to Bedfordshire

for a showdown with one of the largest adversaries they've ever faced.

We're heading for Luton Airport

because we've got a writ against easyJet Airline Company Ltd,

a subsidiary of easyJet Plc.

They're attending on behalf of someone owed £1,283 by easyJet.

Small change for a company that made nearly £250 million profit last year,

but also a debt that hasn't been paid, as ordered.

Now Lawrence and Kev are going to remind them...

..in person.

The address we've got is Hanger 89, Luton Airport.

It is the registered address of the company,

so hopefully, it won't just be an aircraft hangar, there will be offices there.

They're determined to get the person's money today

and will be seizing any assets they can find as leverage,

whether it's office goods or an airliner.

But the first challenge is finding where they need to go.

-I'm here.

-Are we?

-What hangar are we after?

-Hangar 89.

-89? We're at nine.

-We're miles away.

See the two bits sticking out - the pointy bit and the flat bit?

There was easyJet planes out the back of there.

-There's a jet.

-Right! Right!

-Why right?

-Just turn right.

-I think you're wrong.

easyJet...

Oh, yes. Gotcha.

Finally, they find an easyJet sign and an office.

Where am I going to park?

I'll make my own space here.

Morning. We're looking for easyJet Airline Company Ltd, Hangar 89.

But the staff inside tell them this isn't the right place.

Instead, they've stumbled upon the easyJet Cabin Crew Training Centre.

Luckily, the receptionist is able to point Lawrence and Kev in the right direction.

-Do you know where you're going now?

-Yes.

-Are you sure?

I'm going the way I thought in the first place.

I told you to turn left out of that junction!

Lawrence looks to make up for Kev's mistakes.

She said go right up to the terminal building

and you've got the orange sign with easyJet on the roof.

-Ha! You can't miss that, can you?

-Do you mean that?!

-In here.

With the imposing easyJet HQ located,

Kev uses the intercom to let security know they've arrived.

What do I say here?

Just say we're enforcement officers. We...

-'Hello?'

-Hi there. We're High Court enforcement officers.

We need to see someone from easyJet.

Bosh!

It's checkin time at easyJet.

Hi there. My name's Mr Grix. I'm an enforcement officer.

I've got a High Court writ to execute against easyJet Airline Company Ltd.

-Oh, OK.

-I need to speak to somebody who can deal with, er, with that.

A public relations officer appears at reception to speak to Lawrence.

-Hi, gents. Can I help you at all?

-Hi there.

-Hello.

-Would you mind turning that off?

-We're asked to leave,

as she explains someone from accounts is coming down to discuss the debt with them.

We continue filming from outside, as Lawrence and Kev crank up the pressure.

We're ordered today to seize goods and potentially remove them to sell at auction.

-We did seize an aircraft last week somewhere else.

-A jet.

But today, Lawrence and Kev's presence alone is enough

and easyJet's planes can sleep easy.

Three quarters of an hour later, we pick up the action with Lawrence

who, having collected the full amount owed,

is a very satisfied sheriff.

Unsurprisingly, it was paid in full.

They did a bank transfer.

We asked them to bring a screen-grab down,

I checked the bank account and it was in

before the guy even reappeared with the screen print, so...

..all done, yeah.

EasyJet told us...

Since Pete visited Blackpool Airport and grounded three planes

belonging to Aircraft Grouping Ltd,

the debtor contacted the sheriffs

and offered to pay off the £6,000 debt owed to Steve Halliwell

in two payments over two months.

However, Steve rejected this offer, wanting his money sooner and in full.

If Aircraft Grouping Ltd don't agree to this,

the sheriffs will re-attend

with a view to removing the aircraft.

Earlier, we saw sheriffs Marc and Tony

visit the home of Smart Power director Rupert Sweet-Escott.

On the day, he paid the sheriffs £3,000

towards the £11,280 he owed Graham Short

for his ineffective wind turbines.

Since then, he's been back in touch with the sheriffs

and agreed to pay the remainder of the balance in full.