Episode 5 The Sheriffs Are Coming

Meet the sheriffs.

My name's Mr Grix. My colleague and I are enforcement agents.

We're here with a High Court order today.

They work for the High Court, and if a judge says you're owed money,

it's the sheriffs' job to go and get it.

-Here are all the keys.

-I'm going to be calling a locksmith.

They can demand payment on the spot...

-What can you pay us now?

-Going to get the cash, are you?

-Are you paying the bill?

-..or remove assets instead.

You've got 30 minutes to make the payment,

or we'll start removing stuff from the building.

You'll have a week to pay in full before they get sold at auction.

Obstructing their work can be a criminal offence.

I wouldn't do that if I was you.

-Don't lie to me.

-No mess tins.

Every year, sheriffs in England and Wales recover unpaid debts

totalling more than £80 million.

Coming up, Tommy and Mike have a £13,000 debt to recover

at a residential address.

-Hello?

-The debtor can't pay, but there's a very special car

on the driveway.

That's a nice motor.

I'm thinking this could be the one that's going to go.

Ron Garratt lost money and a collection of antiques

when a shop suddenly closed down.

I trusted Nick - he was very friendly,

but eventually, he stopped talking to me.

Jess and Billy are on the hunt for his money.

We're going to force entry into the shop

within about the next ten or 15 minutes if she doesn't attend.

And, after a jeweller sold a customer's Rolex,

and didn't hand over the money, Rob and Gerald pay him a visit.

-Time's up.

-Where are the keys for all of these drawers?

-I want to empty them.

-Excuse me.

-I'm taking everything.

-Everything?

-Everything!

This afternoon, Tommy Coyle and Mike Perkins are in Hampshire.

Today, we're off to a residential property.

We're looking for a Miss Lisa Berglin and a Dr Richard Berglin.

We're looking for around £14,000.

The couple were taken to court by their ex-landlords

following a dispute over rent for their previous home.

The Berglins lost, but then applied for a set-aside,

which would have meant that the case was re-heard.

The court refused, and the original judgment still stood.

The couple then applied for a variation order,

which was granted, and repayments were set at £2,500 a month.

But then the Berglins didn't pay as agreed.

Now their former landlords have got a High Court writ.

Today, Richard and Lisa Berglin owe...

Enforcing personal debts at residential properties can be tricky

for the sheriffs, as they can't force entry to search for goods.

Fortunately, their file contains some useful information

about what assets to expect.

We've been informed that there is a number of nice vehicles -

get a nice big yellow clamp out,

put it on the wheel, and prompt the payment.

When Tommy and Mike arrive at the property,

they find exactly what they were hoping for.

There you go, we've got three vehicles there,

two high-end value vehicles.

It looks like there is a vehicle that has the Porsche badge on.

Yeah, this is paying all day long, this is.

In fact, there are four vehicles on the drive.

Nice to see plenty of assets - always good.

Tommy and Mike make their way to the front door.

They knock, but there's no answer.

There's a few lights on in the house around that side,

CCTV round the corner,

but I can't see any movement in there.

With no-one to talk to, Mike checks out the vehicles on the drive.

The Porsche is unlocked.

And in our diligent search, see if we can come upon any documentation

to see obviously who owns it.

Sheriffs don't have right of entry at residential properties,

but they are entitled to open unlocked doors, including car doors.

-What was the defendant's name?

-Richard?

-Yeah, Dr Richard Berglin.

Yeah.

The letter indicates the Porsche 4X4 could belong to the man

they're looking for.

But it's what's under the other cover

that really interests Tommy and Mike.

Oh, that's nice!

That's a nice motor.

I'm thinking this could be the one that's going to go.

It looks like a Mercedes-AMG SL 65 Black series -

A car that when new cost over £200,000.

But it's a few years old now.

What's the registration?

-It's not on it, mate.

-It's not on here, either.

Tommy is just about to call his office

to let them know what he's found,

when Mike spots movement from inside the property.

There's someone in the house.

KNOCKS ON WINDOW

Hello!

The man comes to the French windows to speak to them.

Is it Dr Berglin?

We need to speak to somebody,

because we're going to be removing some vehicles off the drive.

We're enforcement agents.

Dr Berglin asks us to leave his garden,

and tells the sheriffs the 4X4

has already been levied against by another company.

He says the Mercedes sports car belongs to a company

that he used to be part of, so neither car can be removed.

Tommy is not put off that easily.

Well, what's the situation trying to get this paid, then?

At the moment, I think we would be interested in that.

So... If you don't want to try and get this paid,

then we'll just have to carry on for now.

We'll have a look at this Merc.

With Tommy eyeing up his car, Dr Berglin comes outside,

and asks if there's a possibility of setting up a payment plan

to clear the debt.

We can still look to try to come to some sort of arrangement.

I mean, if we're left with no other avenue, then, you know...

We're going to need a good down-payment

due to the fact of how much this is worth.

But there's no down-payment offer on the table.

To have any chance of getting their client's money,

the sheriffs might need to take one of the vehicles.

The biggest issue's going to be physically moving it.

The hydraulic fluid's gone out the front. It can't be moved.

It would have to be basically lifted up and onto the back.

Moving the Mercedes is making Tommy nervous.

It's not made any easier when Dr Berglin tells them

he doesn't have the key for it at the house.

It might be time to have another look at the Porsche.

In good condition,

either car should raise at auction the £13,380 needed.

-Going to be a lot easier to move, isn't it?

-Of course it is.

Dr Berglin doesn't have paperwork to prove the Mercedes

belongs to a company rather than himself,

but he does hand Mike a document

which seems to show the Porsche is already under control.

Is that the full agreement, is it? Can I have a look?

If the car is on someone else's list,

Tommy and Mike can't take it.

Mike calls the company to make sure.

We just want to find out if you guys have got any interest

in this vehicle any more.

They don't. The case is no longer in their hands.

That means the car could be removed, but it's not that simple.

-This has got no engine in it.

-There is an engine. It's just...

It's just in pieces.

The value is dramatically decreased due to the engine being missing.

We'll have to do it Fred Flintstone style with your feet out the bottom.

Run along.

Although at first it looked like

there were thousands of pounds' worth of vehicles on the drive,

the sheriffs are struggling.

I couldn't think of two worse cars to try and move.

At that moment, Dr Berglin says he has an appointment elsewhere,

and leaves.

He's left us here with this,

cos he knows it's just going to be a nightmare to get out.

With an asset worth this much in front of him,

Tommy isn't going give up easily.

He gets on to the office.

It's not running, but it looks like one hell of a car.

But it's that low to the floor, the suspension's shot.

It's literally hugging the floor.

The car is sitting so deep in the gravel, Tommy's worried

they'll cause thousands of pounds of damage by trying to move it.

Dr Berglin told Tommy the Merc isn't just a run-of-the-mill

factory spec supercar.

It's apparently had a McLaren engine conversion.

The office is impressed.

-ON PHONE:

-It's super rare. Super rare.

-It's super rare?

-It's going.

It's not often the sheriffs think they'll recover nearly £14,000

for their client in one visit to a residential property.

And despite the difficulty in removing the car,

Tommy's mind is made up.

We're looking at taking this asset,

which we believe has a lot of value in it.

At the moment, we're getting some specialist contractors down here,

going to uplift it, put it on the back, gone. Job done.

Job done, as Mr Coyle said.

He calls his favourite removal man,

and it looks like he'll get the car removed and the debt repaid.

Bye-bye. Bye, bye.

Apparently, he's removed Ferraris really low profile in the past,

so he's got a vehicle that should be able to do it. So it's looking good.

The only issue we've got against us now is time running away,

and it's getting dark, so I'd rather not be doing it in the dark.

Tommy takes a photo and sends it over for his man to evaluate.

But he doesn't get the answer he was hoping for.

It's not liftable. You can't get anything even worse.

The low level it is,

the fact it's on gravel, the position it's in, and with no key.

They're so close, but no-one wants to take responsibility

for doing such a difficult job in the dark.

I just don't want to come back tomorrow and this car's gone.

Let's clamp it, then. You've got to be dead careful.

Even clamping such a car is risky,

and Tommy watches as Mike gets down to business.

Hang on, the jacket's coming off. He means business.

-What did your last skivvy die of?

-Cheers.

You should see how low it is under here, man.

-I know.

-It's proper low.

The wheels alone are probably worth more than some of the cars

Mike's removed, so he's taking it very slowly.

Just as he's finished, Dr Berglin is back.

What we're doing, just to explain - the vehicle, we have to clamp it.

-Right.

-We're going to be leaving it here tonight. They want it removed.

-Right.

-So we're going to be back.

Dr Berglin tucks his car in for what might be the last time.

And that's as far as the sheriffs can go tonight.

If Dr Berglin wants to save his car,

he's got an extra day to come up with the money.

Later, Tommy and Mike return in daylight,

and this time with a recovery truck.

ENGINE REVS

Using the county courts to try and recover money you're owed

isn't difficult.

1.5 million money claims are paid every year in England and Wales

involving anything from faulty goods or poor workmanship

to unpaid invoices.

Claims can be filed online or by post for a small fee.

Both parties in the case will be asked to submit evidence,

and you may have to attend a court hearing.

If you're successful, a county court judgment or CCJ will be issued

against the debtor. If they still don't pay,

that's when you call the sheriffs.

Enforcement agents Jess Paton and Billy Evans are in Northamptonshire

heading to an antique shop.

Today we're heading to Larch Antiques.

They debt we're looking for is £1,797.44.

That's not a massive debt, so hopefully we can get it resolved.

The writ against a Mr and Mrs Hunter.

They used to run a different antique shop nearby,

which closed owing money to Ron Garrett.

He and his late wife Karen were enthusiastic collectors.

Now 70, Ron met Karen in 1968.

I was in the Air Force, working on the Vulcan bomber.

I met Karen on a blind date. I don't like dancing particularly,

but I must've had a bit of a jig and a few pints, and so on.

I fell in love straight away. She was absolutely gorgeous.

We were married for 42 years.

In that time, they developed a shared passion for antiques.

Most Sundays, probably Saturday as well,

we used to go to a fair or a flea market.

I collected lots of writing instruments, writing boxes.

Karen liked anything that was old, especially Victorian sewing pieces.

In 2012, after suffering from cancer for some time, Karen passed away.

I miss her every day. I didn't want to come home...

HE SNIFFS

..without her.

It was God's own job just to shut the curtains.

Ron handed down some of their most precious items

to their two children,

but eventually decided that much of the collection should be sold.

It's a hard decision, because we'd collected all the parts together.

I remember saying loads of times,

cos obviously, Karen knew she was dying, as well,

and she said, "Don't you sell my stuff!"

HE LAUGHS

I'm expecting a bolt of lightning coming through the ceiling any time.

I do feel guilty, but the kids don't want them all,

and I don't want them to end up in house clearance.

Ron found a local antique shop called Hunter's Emporium,

run by Nick and Helen Hunter.

He rented some cabinet space in their shop,

and they began to sell the items on his behalf.

Nick and Helen were so friendly, and I trusted them.

She paid me monthly.

Some months, it was very slow to get my money,

and very often, there'd be certain things missing

from the sales invoice.

They'd obviously sold it and not recorded it.

I used to point it out, and they'd just pay me the money.

There was no argument about it.

Despite the discrepancies in the book-keeping,

Ron kept up the arrangement for two years.

Then something happened that prevented him

from making his regular visits to the shop.

I was trimming trees in my garden, and I came down on my back.

I broke my back and three ribs, and also damaged a kidney.

So I was in hospital for nine weeks, and I wasn't able to go over there

and check my stock, check what had been sold and not, and so on.

When he came home, Ron discovered

that Hunter's Emporium had closed down.

He got a final sales invoice for £350,

and arranged to collect the unsold items from the shop.

I noticed straight away there were certain parts missing,

and Nick said,

"Oh, I've had some of that," you know, he said, "I like your stuff."

And he said, "I've had some of that."

So, he said, "I'll make sure you get your money."

The dealer said he'd bought some of Ron's pieces for himself,

and promised to pay what was owed.

We kept in touch with texts.

I asked him when I'd get my money, and one of the times he said,

"I haven't got any money at the moment, but as soon as I have,

"you'll be the first one to get it."

So I trusted Nick - he was very friendly, called me mate,

shook my hand, but eventually, something happened,

and he stopped talking to me.

At that point, Ron lost contact with both Nick and Helen.

He was owed £350 in sales, and another £400 from the missing items.

I was watching the sheriff programme on the television, and I thought,

"I wonder if they could help me."

I ran it past my son, and he said,

"Oh, I don't think your case is big enough, Dad.

"They probably wouldn't want to bother with it."

I looked it up. It said anything over £600.

So, I thought, well, mine's over £600 -

not by much, but it's over £600.

Before he could engage the sheriffs,

Ron had to get a county court judgment.

The shop was gone, but a friend gave him Helen Hunter's address,

and he hand-delivered the court paperwork.

He never got a reply,

and after two weeks, the court granted him a default judgment.

When that too was ignored,

he upgraded to the High Court, and got a writ.

Since then, Ron's done more digging, and found there's now a new shop -

Larch Antiques.

I've quite enjoyed doing the detective work,

and I'm really hoping that the sheriffs

will be able to get my money back for me.

After going through court, the total debt now stands at £1,797.

Ron's writ has both Mr and Mrs Hunter's names on it.

That means they can agree to pay half each,

or the sheriffs can collect the entire bill

from whichever one of them they find first.

Jess and Billy are trained to estimate a business's assets,

but while they know the value of second-hand computers,

office furniture and cars at auction,

Billy's hoping for some help with appraisal today.

I don't know much about antiques.

I've brought the antique Jess with me today

to get him valued to see what he's worth.

Could be worth a trade-in.

HE LAUGHS

Jess might be an old classic himself...

-It's apparently along here.

-Slow it down a bit.

..but he spots the shop first.

Larch Antiques. Here we go.

It's early, and the shop's not yet open.

We're going to give it till nine o'clock.

Then we're going to make a phone call.

It's a commercial premises,

so we'll give them a certain amount of time to turn up.

Otherwise, we'll force entry.

While they wait,

they check out what assets are on offer through the window.

-Quite nice antiques.

-There's some valuable things in there.

There's some nice clocks in there.

The bureau is worth a few quid, innit?

-Nice little record player.

-I'd be going for the two bombs.

-There's bombs inside.

-What?

-Look.

-Bombs?

Two bombs. 81 millimetre mortars.

It's now gone 9am,

so Jess calls the number they've been given for the debtors.

Hello, is that Mr Hunter? We're at your shop at the moment.

We've got a High Court writ for your shop.

Mr Hunter says it's nothing to do with him.

Your name's on the writ, sir, so it IS something to do with you.

He insists it's not his problem, and says it's Mrs Hunter's shop.

He says he's got no involvement in it,

and it's her they need to speak to.

If you can get in contact for her, please,

because we're going to force entry into the shop in about the next ten,

15 minutes if she doesn't attend.

it might sound drastic,

but as Mr Hunter's said he's not paying the bill,

there might not be any choice.

Billy's sure of getting Ron's money either way.

If they don't want to pay,

if they want to be awkward, we'll force entry,

we'll call a truck down,

and we'll remove all the antiques very carefully.

Ten minutes after he spoke to Mr Hunter, Jess's phone rings.

PHONE RINGS

Mr Paton speaking. Is that Mrs Hunter from Larch Antiques?

We've got a High Court writ here for you.

She questions whether the debt has to be paid by her alone.

Both names are on the writ,

but we're not going to get into who's paying what.

We're outside your shop at the moment.

We need you to attend. Otherwise, if you're not here,

we're going to have to force entry.

How long will it take you to get here?

Jess has also discovered why Mr Hunter

wasn't interested in paying the debt himself.

The partner's not coming down. She says he's no longer her partner.

We've opened up a can of worms there.

But, you know, we've got to do what we've got to do.

The sheriffs wait, and 20 minutes later, a woman arrives.

Hello, madam. Are you Mrs Hunter?

-Yes.

-Yeah, I'll just explain, we're High Court Enforcement Agents.

Yeah, that's fine. I don't want the cameras in here, thank you.

Jess and Billy head into the shop,

and we continue filming from the road.

Right, so what it is, we've got a High Court writ

against Mrs Hunter and a Mr Hunter.

To the sheriffs' surprise, Mrs Hunter says she wants to pay

and get it over with, and she's brought the cash to do so.

So, it's £1,797.44.

But she's not got that much.

She says she thought the debt stood at £1,100,

and that's how much she's brought along.

What's happening is, because we've attended today,

the fees have now been put on top of it.

So you've received an NOE which would have been the lesser amount,

but because you didn't pay it within the seven days,

and we've now come out, it's now gone up.

She says she doesn't have any more cash,

and they'll have to take goods.

But the sheriffs don't think that's in her best interests.

OK, it does go up if we need to remove.

If we start removing it's going to go to stage three, then,

-which will be...

-2,427 plus any removals.

She says she has some more money in her bank.

She takes them into the back office,

where she also hands over the cash she's come in with.

-What did you say was here? 1,100, yeah?

-Do you want me to count that?

You check that, yeah. So, we'll give you a cash receipt for the cash.

There'd be 697.44, is what we'd need.

Billy suggests a bank transfer for the remainder,

but Mrs Hunter doesn't have the card reader necessary

to use her internet banking.

But she does find another £100 in cash in the office.

That's 1,200 in cash.

Jess comes outside to fill us in.

She's paid the 1,200 cash now.

Billy's just sorting the last payment out with her now,

and that should be us here done.

But inside the shop, Mrs Hunter's attempts to pay

the remaining £597.44 through the sheriffs' web system

have been declined.

They won't leave with it still outstanding,

so she says she'll have to go and get more cash.

Obviously we're not going to leave now

because she hasn't paid the debt in full, so we'll stay in the shop.

Inside, Billy isn't wasting time.

Although they're sure of getting paid,

he still wants to check out the rest of the assets.

I think he's found his niche.

He's walking around looking at all the prices of everything.

He's seeing stuff in there he's never seen in his life, I think.

He's only a baby, isn't he?

I'd better put that down.

15 minutes after she left,

Jess spots Mrs Hunter making her way back to the shop.

She's just come back from the bank now,

so I'm going to pop back over to the shop and get this paid up.

We can get out of here then and leave her in peace.

-Right, OK, 97.50. Right?

-97.50, yeah.

-OK.

-Right, I'll give you a receipt.

All right. All right, take care, Mrs Hunter.

The writ might have had both her and her ex-partner's name on it,

but Mrs Hunter has paid the debt herself in full.

She's had to face the music, but, you know, at the end of the day,

we've come here to get the money for the claimant.

It's not about them - it's about the claimant,

getting the money for the claimant.

So, you know, we've done our job, and we're going to move on now.

Whether Helen Hunter tries to get Nick Hunter to pay his share

of the debt is up to her,

but Ron Garrett has now finally got the money he's owed.

-RON:

-I think justice has been done. I'm sure Karen would be proud of me.

If you're owed money, chase them.

Use the system. It's not hard.

You can do it, most of it online,

and, OK, it costs you a few quid, but if you're successful,

you get your money back. So go for it.

Mrs Hunter told us the debt belongs solely to her ex-partner,

and that he had left her in a difficult situation financially.

She said Mr Hunter had no involvement in her current business,

Larch Antiques.

This afternoon, enforcement agents Rob Foster and Gerald Anderson

are on their way to another commercial premises,

where they're expecting to find valuable items on display.

Going to a jewellers' today. Connaught Jewellers.

Looking at a debt just under £3,000.

The sheriffs' claimant gave Connaught Jewellers

a Rolex to sell on his behalf.

They did so, but he was never paid the money from the sale.

The jewellers gave the claimant three cheques for payment,

but all three cheques bounced.

It's not a mistake the sheriffs are going to repeat.

As a general rule, we don't accept cheques.

They're too easy to bounce,

and they end up creating more problems, costing more money,

requiring further attendances, etc.

So, no - cheques are generally out of the question.

After the bounced cheques, the customer took the shop to court.

The shop didn't defend the case, and now they owe £2,827.

-Connaught Jewellers - there on the left-hand side.

-There it is, there.

Looks quite...quite decent.

Looks all right. It's a jewellers'.

The lights are on, and there is stock in the window.

They're expecting an upmarket jewellers'

to have no trouble coming up with just under £3,000.

They park around the corner, but when they get back to the shop,

it's locked up.

Door's locked.

-No-one there yet?

-Hmm.

I don't think he's gone for lunch.

There's a coat on the back of the chair out there.

Yeah. He could well be in there.

I can't tell if the door's locked because he's gone for lunch,

or if the door's locked cos he's in the back.

There's a mobile number on the file, so I'm ringing it now.

The sheriffs have the power to force entry to a commercial property

like this one, but they'd rather make contact with the debtor first.

There's no answer, no voicemail or anything on his mobile.

Well, the worst comes to the worst, it's going to be a locksmith.

-Yeah.

-He ain't going to come here while we're stood here, is he?

They're concerned that if the jeweller is out to lunch,

then he might spot them waiting outside the shop,

and decide not to return,

so Rob and Gerald make a tactical retreat.

We're going to withdraw up to a little peepy-hole place up there,

and just observe the door for the next 20, 30 minutes,

see if he does come back.

They find a good hiding spot.

I can see the shop from here. They obviously can't see me.

I'm just going to wait here to see if anybody goes in or out.

While Gerald takes care of surveillance,

Rob's been reading the file.

Connaught Jewellers Ltd is dissolved.

It looks like there was once a limited company

trading here with a similar name,

but the sheriffs don't know what the current arrangement is.

From what they've seen,

they're convinced the shop is still in business,

so they step up their efforts to make contact.

"Sorry, the number you have dialled is not in service."

Hmm!

I've tried the two landline numbers. One is no longer in use.

One just continues to ring, and then rings out.

While they're trying to work out what to do, Gerald's phone rings.

PHONE RINGS

Hello.

Can you hear me?

But it's a private number, and whoever's on the other end of it

isn't saying anything. Moments later, Rob gets the same call.

PHONE RINGS

Private number. Hello.

Hello?

They think it's the jeweller trying to find out

who's been calling him for the last half hour,

so they head back to the shop.

I don't like coincidences,

and you ringing the number and getting a private number back,

and then me ringing it and getting a private number back -

-it's definitely them responding.

-100%.

It's still locked up...

-That door's closed.

-..but something's different.

-That was open.

-It was open, yeah.

Because I could see a chair in there.

KNOCK AT DOOR

Got me all excited now.

-He is in there, isn't he?

-He knows we're here.

After making themselves heard...

KICKS DOOR

..there's finally a sign of life from inside.

-Now we've got movement inside.

-He's there. Perfect.

Hello, sir!

Hello, sir. Are you all right?

Rob gets straight to the point.

Right, calling with regards to a live writ today.

You sold a Rolex.

-Yeah. But we already...

-Yep?

..sent a letter to the court, and all the papers that they sent,

they sent to 7A, and 7A is the flat above.

-Right, OK.

-And we haven't heard from them.

Was it just a letter explaining the circumstances?

Explaining the circumstances.

It's not complying with the court's rules.

You don't just write to the court, though. You seek legal advice,

you go and see a solicitor, and You file the correct forms.

That hasn't been done, so we're here a live writ today to enforce

for payment in full or removal of goods.

Rob's not impressed.

The man says he's aware of the case, but all he seems to have done

is write a letter to the court complaining about it.

He hasn't applied for a stay on the writ,

or for the judgment to be set aside.

Very simply, are you going to pay it?

I haven't got any money to pay.

-Right.

-My daughter pays them.

Where's the money for the watch that was sold, then?

It's... It belongs to Connaught Jewellers Ltd.

-Right.

-We haven't received any papers from you.

So you're saying everything belongs to Connaught Jewellers Ltd?

-Yes.

-Which is a dissolved company - it's gone, it doesn't exist.

It's gone, but we are still running the company.

-Let me just tell you one thing.

-Instead of limited...

-Yep.

..it's Connaught Jewellers.

-Yes.

-And that is the name on the writ.

That's exactly what I needed to hear!

But now the man says the shop doesn't belong to him.

He's the manager, but the lease is in his daughter's name,

and it's her business.

None of that makes any difference to the sheriffs.

Can I ring my daughter, and she explains to you?

I don't want anything explained to me.

-It belongs to her.

-I don't want anything explained to me.

I want it paid, or I'll take goods.

-That's it. That's all I'm after, is the payment.

-How can we pay you?

I take card, I take cash, many different ways.

-Can we give you a cheque?

-No. We don't take cheques.

We don't take cheques. You bounced three of them on the last guy.

Gerald, meanwhile, is exploring the back office.

Sorry, why are you... This is only a workshop.

I'm just looking through paperwork to see exactly what's what.

I have the right under the writ to investigate.

Ideally, he wants a document

proving some of the jewellery belongs to Connaught Jewellers,

but there's not much of interest.

He tries a different tack.

Let's go back a couple of months.

I give you this and say, "Can you sell that for me?"

-You sell that to this gentleman here for £2,000.

-Yes.

-Correct.

-Where's that £2,000 that he gave you?

It's my regular customer.

Oh, right.

And every time he buys something, he pays...

-He'll pay you next year, maybe.

-No, not next year.

-No, no, no, no.

-Who's got the £2,000?

-I have got the £2,000.

-Right, whose £2,000 is it?

But I didn't get...

-Whose 2,000...

-It's yours, but...

-But...

-Right, so why don't you pay me?

-But it was only...

..only six weeks when he started moaning.

Whatever the arrangement was,

the Rolex's owner has had neither his watch nor his money

for months now.

Later, can Rob and Gerald convince the jeweller

to pay his customer back?

I wasn't kidding you when I said that I'd be looking at taking

£20,000 worth of kit, which is basically clearing the shop out.

If you've won a county court judgment and haven't been paid,

for £66, you can get the case transferred up to the High Court,

which will issue a writ for enforcement by the sheriffs.

I'm an enforcement agent enforcing a High Court writ.

I'm here just to execute the court order.

They've got more powers than county court bailiffs...

We're going to remove cars.

If you obstruct myself or my colleague, it is a criminal offence.

..and there's no limit to the size of the debts they can pursue.

£14 million. It's the largest job I've ever done.

You can pay directly into our account from Spain.

If they're successful, they will recover your money and costs

-from the debtor...

-Thanks.

-Thank you.

..as well as their own fees that are set by the Government.

It was that amount there until 5:30.

I don't stand here for three hours for nothing.

If the sheriffs can't get your money,

they'll ask you to pay a fee of £75 plus VAT.

Earlier, Tommy and Mike visited Dr Berglin,

looking for more than £13,000

that he and his wife owe to their former landlord.

This is paying all day long, this is.

He said he couldn't pay, but the sheriffs found

a potentially valuable asset on his driveway.

That's a nice motor.

I'm thinking this will be the one that's going to go.

They decided it was too difficult to remove it in the dark that evening.

And now, two days later,

they're returning to collect the clamped car.

The defendant's been back in contact.

He's very cooperative. He says he's now got a key.

I think he's resigned to the fact

that he's not going to be able to pay it,

and the vehicle's going to go.

They arrive at the Berglins' property, and as Tommy heads inside,

Mike checks in with their recovery man.

How long will you be, roughly?

Dr Berglin has found the keys,

which should increase the vehicle's value at auction.

He's also going to start it, so the sheriffs' removal man

doesn't cause any damage trying to lift it off the gravel.

-ENGINE STARTS

-Oh, my. Woohoo!

Whoo! That sounds gorgeous, doesn't it?

-It does sound racy, doesn't it?

-ENGINE REVS

Tommy and Mike inspect the vehicle,

but they can hardly hear themselves over the noise of the engine.

Mike seizes the cover, and as the car is now unlocked,

he checks the glove box for documents,

which also gives him a chance to try out the seats.

Oh, it is quite spacious inside, isn't it?

When Dr Berglin says he'll drive it onto the road for them,

Tommy can't resist doing the same.

Believe it or not, I have had it before,

-and then people have drove off. So...

-No, he won't drive off.

I can understand why...

-ENGINE REVS

-Oh, my lord!

I can understand why Tommy's doing it.

Cos he's obviously got to make sure the asset's still secure.

But I think it was more that he just wanted to sit in it,

and say he'd been in it.

His 100-foot joyride complete,

Tommy discovers why the car's been sat on the driveway for so long.

It's not built for me, I don't think.

Is that fluid coming out?

-Yeah.

-He'd let customers go out in it on track days.

Obviously the vehicle sits very low-profile on the track,

and there's something in the vehicle

that raises it for when you come off the track.

The customer didn't raise it, hit a speed bump, which caused the damage.

We could see the fluids coming out the front.

The sheriffs are hoping it's just a leaky hose,

and the damage isn't severe enough

to put off potential bidders at auction.

Problem or not, Tommy's still impressed.

It's a lovely car. It's like a muscle car, isn't it?

See, if I was a car, that would be me.

-You'd be a Nissan Micra.

-LAUGHTER

Right on time, the recovery truck arrives.

Is it not starting?

Dr Berglin jump-started the car ten minutes ago...

..but the recovery man can't.

Might have to get his heavy-duty one out.

So the debtor and his extra-large battery are needed again.

Hopefully, this is going to work now.

-It'll be a lot simpler to get it on board.

-ENGINE STARTS

There you go. Straight away.

-Amazing, straight away.

-And that's not all.

He's also got a bottle of fluid that he hands over to Tommy.

Then you top it up with some of that?

Yeah, you're fine my side, mate.

Yeah.

The Mercedes is driven onto the low loader, secured,

and that's the job done.

That's a beautiful car, isn't it?

Tommy hands over the seizure paperwork, and the car heads off.

It will be taken to secure storage,

and after a minimum of 14 days in which Dr Berglin

will have a chance to register any objections,

it will be sold at public auction.

That asset's worth a substantial amount of money.

Obviously he'll be getting some money back, also clearing his debt.

The claimant will also be getting their money back.

A good result all round.

And as you can see, we will come out, we'll enforce,

we'll get these goods removed, and we will recover our clients' debts.

A few weeks later, the car was sold at auction,

but it only made £11,300,

which wasn't enough to clear the entire debt.

That means, as far as the sheriffs are concerned,

the case is not yet closed.

Rob and Gerald are still in a jewellers' in West London,

trying to get more than £2,000

for a customer who wasn't paid when the shop sold a Rolex on his behalf.

-Who's got the £2,000?

-I have got the £2,000.

-Right. Whose £2,000 is it?

-But I didn't get...

-Whose 2,000...

-It's yours.

So far, it's been a frustrating experience for the sheriffs.

The jeweller has admitted he owes the money,

but doesn't seem keen to pay up.

If they can't leave with the claimant's cash,

the sheriffs might have to sell the shop's goods instead.

-Time's up.

-Where's the keys for all these drawers, now?

-Cos I want to empty them.

-Excuse me...

-I'm taking everything.

-Everything?!

-Everything.

The jeweller says that like the Rolex,

almost everything here is sale or return,

and belongs to his customers, not the shop.

So he offers them something he does own.

I've got one thing - that carriage clock.

That alone is £2,000.

But it's not that simple.

The clock won't fetch that much at auction,

and Gerald explains that if he has to remove it, the bill will go up.

-How much are we looking at at sale, Rob?

-It'll go up to £4,100.

If you pay it now, it's £2,800. That's it.

But at auction, I'd be looking at around £16,000-£20,000 worth

of goods to cover the debt.

The carriage clock alone isn't worth anything like enough money

to clear the debt, so the sheriffs' attention turns elsewhere.

What else in here? These are owned by Connaught Jewellers?

-Those, yes, yes.

-And how much do you reckon these are worth?

Well, I sell them for £200 each.

There are some high-value items in the cabinets,

and the jeweller doesn't want to lose them.

He now says he can get his daughter to pay the debt.

If you give us 24 hours, we will pay you.

It's not the end of the world, for God's sake.

I'm not asking you to wait for days and days.

But it has been three weeks since the notice of enforcement

was sent out, and months since the Rolex was sold.

If the man's daughter is going to pay,

Gerald doesn't want it put off any longer.

I can send a link to your daughter for her to just put down,

-and it's done.

-Let me tell you one thing.

-She cannot leave the office.

-She doesn't have to leave the office.

Sir, all I'd have to do for your daughter -

she can stay sat at her desk, behind wherever she is -

I send her a text on her phone.

-Yeah?

-And on the text on her phone, It'll say,

"Put your card detail in here." She can do it on the phone.

Text, done, finished.

But even that isn't going to work.

The man says his daughter is too busy,

and can't pay the sheriffs now.

I cannot believe that you cannot get hold of your daughter.

She is the supervisor.

She doesn't even talk to me.

Can you assure me, in 24 hours, that debt will be paid?

-Yes.

-Yeah?

-Yes.

-I don't believe a word.

Please! I don't have to lie to you!

I'm 73 years old!

It's been two hours since they first knocked on the door,

and Gerald has finally extracted a promise of payment

from the jeweller.

Rob thinks that's as good as they'll get today,

and decides to give the jeweller the time he says he needs.

So we can do a controlled goods agreement.

You sign it, I sign it, and we give you 24 hours to settle it in full.

Gerald lets the man know it doesn't mean he's off the hook.

If it's not paid by that time, we then end up coming back.

Whether you're here or not,

we'd get a locksmith, and open the place up,

and I wasn't kidding you when I said that I'd be looking at taking

£20,000 worth of kit, which would basically clear the shop out.

Rob and Gerald go through the assets,

and list everything the man agrees belongs to the shop.

-All these watches, Connaught Jewellers', yes?

-The watches, yes.

-Swiss.

-Swiss? So that's the manufacturer, Swiss?

-The manufacturer is Swiss.

-One, two, three, four, five, six, seven.

Seven wrist bracelets.

The sheriffs are never happy to leave a job without getting paid,

but they've done all they can today.

Rob gives the man the control of goods agreement to sign...

Right there. Perfect. Yeah.

..and with that, the shop's stock technically belongs to the court

until the debt is paid.

When you've paid, give Mr Foster a phone call,

otherwise I'll be back here Monday to empty the place out.

-OK.

-Ta-ra now.

-Bye.

-Ta-ra.

-Cheerio.

It's not been the easiest day's work,

and they haven't yet recovered any money for their client.

I'm not convinced he's going to pay it as he's said he'll pay it.

I have told him that I will eat my hat

if it's paid by nine o'clock, Monday.

A total of £2,473 was paid the same day by Connaught Jewellers,

and cleared in the sheriffs' account later that evening.

The remaining balance was paid three days later.

So, in the end, the owners stuck to their word, and so did Gerald.

Connaught Jewellers told us the payment was transferred

before the sheriffs' visit.

They also said the original court claim

was mistakenly sent to the wrong address.