Episode 8 Dom on the Spot

Never before have so many on-the-spot fines been issued

in Britain.

We're going to be following the men and women who hand out

over £30 millions' worth of tickets every month...

-Oops!

-Round here, they're an absolute blight.

-I'm at 104 now.

-Wow! That is disgusting!

Just walk away.

..for behaviour that's downright dangerous...

That was stupid for these sorts of conditions, wasn't it?

..simply selfish...

Look at the mess you've created in this street!

-How was that our fault?

-..or just...

-What is he doing?

-..well, plain silly.

What a doughnut!

We'll be revealing the cost of their bad behaviour...

-£100 fine.

-Pays £260 fine.

-Ouch!

..and how this could affect YOU!

-I'll give him a punch.

-Do you want to see me kick off?

-The police are on it.

-What the...? Sir!

The parking wardens are on it.

They should be thanking us for being here.

-And I'm on it.

-There's a 35mph limit here!

I'm Dom Littlewood and I'm On The Spot.

This time, bad memories could lead to more than just a fine.

What I will say is I can't stand here all day.

If you can't get it in 30 minutes I'm going to seize the vehicle.

Things are getting tough for the litter police.

Let me do my job here and then you start swinging punches.

Listen, you're not doing your job.

-CHUCKLES

-GRR!

And I'm on the spot with a parking patrol.

-Go away.

-I think YOU need to go away.

I'm going away, cos you're rude.

Let's head over to Wiltshire,

where traffic cop Jay Clifton

is heading west on a busy stretch of the M4.

In his pursuit of a host of motoring offences,

Jay can call on some state-of-the-art technology.

The automatic number plate recognition links him to

a range of vehicle databases which means Jay can spot who is legal,

but anyone who isn't could be hit with a range of on-the-spot fines.

Just had a vehicle go past the police car

and it's activated the onboard APR camera.

And with all that tech on board, Jay might just know more about

your vehicle than you do, so what will this be?

It's come up with a marker suggesting that the vehicle

may not have insurance, so I've done a quick check on it and our

systems are showing that it doesn't have any insurance.

Possibly MOT expired and possibly even the tax has expired.

So this could add up to a long list of fines.

Driving without the right paperwork for your vehicle

could be pretty costly.

No MOT is a £100 fine.

No insurance means a £300 fine and six points on your licence.

Whilst no tax could mean a £1,000 fine and, even worse,

you could end up with your vehicle seized.

The reason I've stopped you is, as you've come past me,

my automatic number plate reader has read your number plate and it

gives me some information about the vehicle.

It's telling me that there's no insurance on the vehicle

and it's also telling me that the MOT expired yesterday and it's also

telling me there's no tax on the vehicle.

-There's no insurance?

-Yeah. How long have you owned the vehicle for, sir?

Two and a half years.

It turns out the occupants are a young couple who have just

returned from holiday.

Anything you can tell me about the tax or MOT?

-We have been in France the last three and a half months.

-Right.

I was pretty certain I had tax.

I know I paid for an insurance policy.

-I can get the documents on my e-mail.

-OK.

I'm going to do some checks to double check on the MOT and on tax.

In that time, do you want to have a quick look on your account

to see if that payment's come out?

You never know. If that payment's been stopped...

If the databases and the insurance company confirms Jay's suspicion,

this pair could be in line for some hefty penalties

and possibly even have their van seized for no tax.

Not a nice surprise when you've just come back from your holidays.

I've gone on to a government website which any member of the

public can access which tells us information about the vehicle

and tax and MOT, and this is telling me that the MOT expired yesterday

and the vehicle's been untaxed since 1st February,

so got that to look at, as well.

Jay has also got through to his insurance company

and it's not looking good.

It turns out the policy was cancelled two months ago.

It's a hat-trick of missing paperwork.

The issue that you've got here is this vehicle is now uninsured,

unMOT'd and untaxed.

It shouldn't be on a road.

It has no tax and has no insurance,

so it DEFINITELY shouldn't be on the road.

So, what kind of damage are we looking at?

They face a possible £100 fine for no MOT.

There's a £300 and six points on the driver's licence for no insurance.

And there could also be a hefty fine from the DVLA for no road tax,

but what will Jay decide?

-You are going to get points and a fine, OK?

-No, no.

There's no other way I can deal with this.

I can put you in front of a court should you wish to contest it.

However, if you're found guilty in a court,

-you're still looking at points and a fine.

-Of course.

But then you're looking at court costs and everything else

that goes on top of this.

Oh, dear. Hope they've got some holiday money left.

But all is not lost. Jay has got some room to manoeuvre.

What you can do is pre-book an MOT test, so you could say,

"I'm going to phone up a company..."

wherever it is you're going to and say,

"Can I get my vehicle in for MOT now, today, later on today?"

And then the journey that you do from here to there is

-a lawful journey cos you're going to get it MOT'd.

-OK.

Normally on these occasions we would seize the vehicle from you

-and you'd then have to go and get it back.

-Right, OK.

We'll have a discussion about that. Come to the car.

We need to fill out some paperwork.

Jay has let the lack of MOT go as they were only one day over

as long as they get it into a test centre today.

But they could still be looking at having their van seized immediately.

The rules are, with the Wiltshire Police, that when we get

a vehicle that's uninsured, that we should have the vehicle

seized to prevent any further driving of that vehicle.

If she's sorting the insurance out now, I think what you need to do

is get on to a garage now,

while I'm filling out this documentation.

Make a phone call.

That gives you three hours 45 minutes before five o'clock

in which to get to a garage and get this sorted out.

So they've got a chance but time's against them.

So we have to get the car insured, MOT'd and taxed.

We can, he was explaining, get the car taxed after we've had it MOT'd.

It's impossible to tax a vehicle without a valid MOT so we're

going to take the car now to the nearest MOT centre I can find.

-MOT booked for 3.45 in Chippenham just down the road.

-In Chippenham?

-Yeah.

-OK, excellent. I'm happy with that.

He's been very clear. He's been very good.

It's, er...a good lesson to us to stay on top of all of the

little things in life.

They've managed to book an MOT but still haven't insured the van

and Jay is running out of time and patience.

What I will say is I can't stand here all day.

If you can't get it done in 30 minutes I'm going to seize

-the vehicle.

-OK. Let's just do it.

I've only given them 30 minutes because we have other things

to do and we'll go from there, so we'll see what happens.

He promised me it would come through straightaway, the e-mail.

E-mails take time.

Just before the 30-minute deadline...

..the van is insured.

Happy that your insurance is there now. That's done and dusted.

You've got a pre-booked MOT test,

so it's a straight line from here to there.

As long as the vehicle is on its way to an MOT, then I'm happy with that.

At the moment, we're going to issue six points and

a £300 fine for driving with no insurance.

The forms are going to go in for the tax.

The DVLA are well within their rights to put some very,

very hefty fines on.

Yeah, this could run into the thousands if I'm completely

honest, but that's down to them.

It's been a pretty expensive stop at the service station for this couple.

No penalty for the MOT but £300 and six points for the insurance.

Plus up to £1,000 for the tax.

Right, we'll leave you to it. Have a better journey.

-No, thank you so much for your patience.

-No, no problem at all.

-Hugely appreciated.

-Please take care.

(Oh, dear...)

But, hey ho, at least the van hasn't been seized.

It's time to head to Pendle in Lancashire and catch up with

a no-nonsense sheriff of litter town!

AKA Jon Yurek - environmental crime officer...

..and a man on a mission...

They all know who I am.

They're all going to gang up on me.

..to keep the streets of Pendle clean.

Armed with the power to issue a £75 fine for littering,

Jon isn't always that popular with the public.

But as a dedicated public servant,

he's always got his eyes peeled for a spot of littering.

Jon is patrolling his patch when he thinks he has spotted

a woman dropping a cigarette butt and then entering the bookies.

A woman's got a cigarette in her hand, so...

If he can get a name and address for the culprit,

then there could be a £75 fine on the way.

OK, Jon, that's your cue.

From Pendle Borough Council. You see the cigarette outside?

What did you do with your cigarette? Come outside with me.

Before Jon can even issue the fine,

-he's got to break down the language barrier.

-You're Romanian?

OK. Do you have your ID card on you, like a passport, any ID on you?

I do not speak English.

You're speaking good enough English right now, OK? That's fine.

If I can, just round the corner here, get some details off you,

OK, for littering.

Come here. The reason I've stopped here today

is because as you were stood here with a cigarette,

you threw your cigarette on the floor,

you stood in your cigarette and you went inside, OK?

That's the offence of littering. Do you understand that?

Yes? OK.

For that reason, what I'm going to do is get some details off you,

OK, so the council can write to you.

OK?

OK, madam.

What is your name?

I know you're saying you don't speak English,

but you must know your name.

Right, and you've got no ID on you?

You're Romanian, you've got no ID? No passport, library card?

INDISTINCT

To make sure the message has got through,

Jon tries to rope in a translator.

Are you Romanian, sir?

INDISTINCT

-OK, can you come here, mate? Can you come here?

-No, me not speak English.

OK, fine, you don't speak English, OK. All right.

Unfortunately for Jon, the council's decision to fine people

for dropping fags isn't that popular with all the locals.

-You're a bully.

-Right...

-And I'll tell you you're a bully.

-Can you go away, please, sir?

-No, I won't go away.

Hey, do you work for the council?

-I didn't say it.

-Well, I pay my...

-BLEEP

Right, you can gang up on me, you can gang up on me all you like.

-It's a fag-butt showdown.

-Just walk away.

-All right.

-Can't do nowt if you just walk away. Just walk away.

If she understands that, sir,

then you've just implicated that she can speak English.

-She can walk away.

-Thank you very much, sir.

-She can walk away, can't she?

-All right, all right.

-Just walk away.

-What's your date of birth?

All right, let me do my job here and then you can start swinging punches.

The pressure from the locals is mounting.

You're not doing your job.

Let me do this and then you can start kicking off.

No, you can't do your job...

BLEEP

So, is this going to be a fine?

So, let's take a look at Jon's options.

He could chalk this one up to experience, or he can keep

trying to get this woman's details in order to issue that fine.

You don't know your name and address,

-you don't know your date of birth, you don't know anything.

-Sorry.

It's OK, don't worry about it.

In the face of mounting hassle and a few language problems,

Jon has decided he'll have to let this one go.

No fine.

JON LAUGHS

GRR!

Never mind, Jon. Some you win, some you lose.

It's very frustrating. Erm...

It's a multicultural country we live in now and you have...

people who...can't speak English.

I can't speak Romanian, you know,

so it's very frustrating and I'm sure

on a normal day, yeah,

if I asked her her name and date of birth,

she'd probably be able to write the lot of it, but today,

she's forgotten, so it's just one of them things.

But the Sheriff of Litter Town never gives up the trail.

Now, did you know, close to 5 million parking tickets are dished

out to London's drivers every year.

But if you want to challenge that ticket,

then this is the place to come.

The appeals process has been fair

because I got a chance to have my say.

Lambeth Council had a chance to have their say and here we are at

an independent adjudicator to prove that I wasn't in the wrong.

This is London's Chancery Exchange where the capital's

environment and traffic adjudications are heard.

Now, amongst the most persuasive excuses,

I imagine having a pregnant woman in the car is one of the best.

At least that is what minicab driver Mario Boston is hoping.

He pulled over somewhere he shouldn't have

when his pregnant wife began to feel unwell.

Caught on camera, he now faces a fine of £130.

The laws, they're not sometimes with the reality.

And there was just that maybe difference between

feeling ill and emergency.

Maybe emergency just when you're close to die.

He's come with his family to argue his case.

-KNOCK ON THE DOOR

-Come in.

Thank you. Hello, come in, sir. Hello, madam, have a seat.

Now, is it just me or could bringing a cute kid

into the hearing help swing things in your favour?

I think it might be better if your wife took your child outside.

Maybe not.

It looks like Mario's secret weapon might have unnerved Caroline.

We're here regarding an appeal that you've lodged against a decision

-of the enforcement authority of the London Borough of Brent.

-Yes.

And they alleged that on 7th July and it's dated back to 2014...

-They said that your vehicle was seen parked with wheels on the footway.

-Yes.

And they say that parking on the footway is not permitted.

And they say it's not permitted at any time

and they're right about that.

Footway parking is prohibited.

You're not allowed to park on the footway in London or Greater London.

Mario feels like he didn't have much choice.

But let's have a look at the facts.

He pulled his car up onto the pavement

because his pregnant wife was being sick.

He then left the car there for ten minutes while she went to get

some fresh air.

And by not paying the fine immediately, he now owes £130.

100% I'm wrong. I parked in the footpath.

But they never consider someone was ill.

But is a wife with bad morning sickness

enough of a reason for Caroline to let him off?

When it comes to an appeal, you have to satisfy me

that essentially a medical emergency arose.

A medical emergency,

the level that you would have to reach is such

that the prohibition on footway

parking was cancelled because it was an emergency.

It's not looking good, Mario.

And from what you've told me,

you haven't reached that level.

When they cancel tickets,

it would be for a medical emergency rather than for the

level of illness that you have recounted to them.

So, what's it going to be?

So, at this stage,

the penalty is the full penalty amount which is £130.

Oh, dear. Fine upheld.

£130.

That's not what he was hoping to hear.

I quite understand why you're here.

And, obviously, when your wife was unwell,

you felt anxious and you just wanted to make sure that she was safe.

Having said that, you're not entitled to drive on the footway.

You can't park in that way.

I understand that your wife was unwell but as the council

has explained to you, and they're right in what they say,

unless it's a real medical emergency,

the parking restrictions apply.

So the reasons that you've put

forward, whilst I understand them and accept that they are truthful

and honest, they don't mean that you don't have to pay the penalty.

You haven't got a ground of appeal.

Bad luck, Mario. I hope the family don't take it too hard.

BABY CRIES

It doesn't look like she's too pleased with the news.

I have to pay now £130.

Completely, it's not fair because pregnant woman,

when you feel ill, when you start vomiting

when she was just vomiting once,

next bag, next bag, two, three times.

In five, ten minutes, and so that's...

That... That's it.

I'm back on the beat with the Wiltshire police force.

I'm on the spot with PC Jay Clifton.

We're on the M4, on the tail of a white van man.

Oh, white... Which one now?

The white van.

I'm pretty sure his light cluster is hanging off and he looks overweight.

You don't miss a trick, you, do you?

I like to think I can keep an eye on it.

'And, as we get closer,

'it's pretty obvious that this van's got a problem.'

Cor! I can see that light hanging off now, on the near side.

Yeah, there we go.

I thought I saw something bouncing around.

'There's a fine for broken lights,

'so this driver could be in line for a £50 penalty.'

That's ridiculous, to try and get away with

-a light like that, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-It's hanging on by a wire.

In fact, if that falls off now,

it's going to come through your windscreen, isn't it?

It will certainly bounce on the windscreen, but it could...

For someone else, that could be enough to make them...

-swerve.

-Swerve, yeah.

'With Jay turning on his lights to make himself known,

'there's a chance that this could be a fine.'

I'll put on the "follow me" sign.

It's a bit funny how,

when you've got the message flashing up on the back screen,

everyone's going past you at a sensible speed now, all of a sudden.

Yeah. Oh, yeah, yeah.

'Jay's told the van driver to follow him to a vehicle testing station.'

It's a really good place for us to have this. It's so useful.

We can bring any sized vehicle in here safely.

We can work on it safely. We can weigh the vehicle.

-And have a good look around it without risking your life.

-Exactly.

-It's very, very good.

-Plus, it's got a lavvy.

-That must help when you're out on the road all day.

-Oh, yes!

Any surprise he got pulled?

'With the van's backside in such a state...'

Indicate right.

Indicate left.

'..Jay does a full health check to see if the rest

'is in good working order.'

Footbrake.

Handbrake... Oh, brake.

Take your foot off the brake.

Can you turn your lights on for me?

Can you turn your fog light on for me?

Yeah, that's fine.

The rest of your lights are fine.

Have you had a look at why we stopped you?

The van driver doesn't want to be on camera,

but he told me that he knew the light was loose

because he'd knocked it with his tailgate.

But he didn't realise it was hanging off.

At the moment,

we're missing indicators, we're missing reverse lights.

Missing brake lights, we're missing normal lights.

You need to get that fixed immediately.

But there's a problem.

The driver's got another hour's travelling to do,

and Jay isn't happy with him carrying on.

To have him drive all the way up to where he wants to go,

that's just far too dangerous.

And, as you've pointed out, all it takes is for that to flick off

and to go into someone else's windscreen,

and that would cause them to swerve, and that could cause a collision.

And so, we need to stop that.

-So I'm going to go and get it sorted out.

-OK.

In some ways, you've got to feel a bit sorry for the driver.

Because what he said there,

he dropped the tailgate down, it ripped the lights off.

It was out of his control and it's just happened.

Now he's got a whole load of inconvenience.

Sometimes you sort of feel, "That was tough,

"but would you want to be behind that?"

But is the driver about to get an on-the-spot fine?

Let's take stock.

The van was clocked on the motorway

with its rear light flapping dangerously in the wind.

The driver knew it was loose,

but claims he didn't know it was hanging off.

But will Jay give him the benefit of the doubt

and let him off with a warning?

So, this is only going to be a £50 fine,

which is failing to maintain obligatory lamps.

Maybe not.

Right, no points?

No points, it's just a monetary fine.

No, it's a fine.

And he can't drive the van until the light's repaired.

Which means that driver has now got to wait probably two to three hours.

There's going to be a huge expense and bill for somebody

at the end of it, all for the sake of that light hanging off.

It could have been sorted out so much easier.

And cheaper.

Sadly, for this driver,

there's a long wait ahead for the tow truck.

But it's another good day for Jay,

making the roads of Wiltshire a safer place.

I'm in Havering, north-east London.

I'm on the spot with long-suffering parking officer Kam.

Kam has just issued this moped a ticket

for being parked on the pavement.

That's a £130 on-the-spot fine.

What this guy done wrong?

He's on the footway path.

'Uh-oh, hang on.

'The owner's just rocked up and he's not a happy chappie.'

I literally just walked in there two seconds ago,

-and come back out here.

-BLEEP

He's on there. He's there! He ain't got a ticket.

You see this path?

This poor guy's just come back.

He's parked his bike on the pavement, he shouldn't have done.

He's obviously not very happy about the ticket.

At the moment, he's just arguing his case.

I'll see if I can have a chat with him in a second.

He doesn't look very happy.

I literally just walked into where I work and you've given me...

-If you come here every day...

-130 quid?!

Well, it will be half that if you pay it within 14 days.

-I'm not paying this. There you go.

-RIPPING

That's fine, that's not a problem.

Looks like this guy's decided he's not going to accept the fine.

At the moment, it's a £65 discounted fine.

But if he chucks it away, then he won't be able to pay promptly,

and could end up facing a double whammy of £130.

It's a lot of money.

Obviously, it's 65 if you pay it earlier than that, of course.

You've got two weeks to do that and you have the right to appeal it.

You've ripped up and thrown it on the floor,

you might be better off picking it up.

I know it's the heat of the moment, but you're probably better off

having it and then work out what you're going to do.

I'm only giving you a bit of advice.

All right, I understand. Where's it gone? It's blown away.

-I don't know where it... That's the packet.

-It's over there.

It's worth picking up, mate.

Sensible lad. He'll probably be glad of that in the end.

BLEEP

For every ten tickets you issue,

how many people that you meet from those ten will have a go at you?

The majority of the time,

all of the ones that do come back will have a go at you.

Or at least nine out of ten of them.

One might be a bit more calm and understanding about what we've done.

So your job is just a job of aggravation, moans, groans, abuse?

-A whole load of nasty things said.

-Yeah.

I'm not surprised you carry around paracetamols in your pocket.

I think I'd be having them with every coffee break I had!

Kam's been tipped off by a member of the public

about a car parked in a loading spot.

She's already given it a warning,

but an hour later it's still there, and no-one's loading.

This car here was parked here about...hour,

hour and half ago, something like that.

And, obviously, Kam had a quick word with them. They said they're just unloading.

It appears what they might have done is just left the boot open

and think they can get away with it,

cos it's still there and no-one seems to be loading or unloading.

She said he's just picking up a box.

They've just got a ticket. No second chance!

'This isn't looking good for the driver.'

The driver's come back now anyway.

Let me just...

Let's take a look at the facts of this parking problem.

He's been parked outside his shop for so long

that a member of the public even called the council to complain.

This could be a £130 instant fine.

Loading is like ten, 20 minutes.

-Not for like an hour, two hours.

-No problem, darling.

And you can't deny it because the vehicle was videoed.

Kam must be feeling very lenient today indeed.

She gives him another friendly warning.

You do know you've just got off

there with a second warning of the day.

I think you're very lucky.

-Can I explain something now?

-Yeah.

There's nowhere for me to unload or load here.

I've got no back.

I can't come with a helicopter and drop it off at the top of the roof.

I've got come round with the car.

-Or van, whatever you've got.

-Yeah.

So we've got no chance of parking anywhere.

-What do you think of traffic wardens around here?

-No.

They don't give no-one a chance.

Have you ever been rude to them?

-Have I ever been rude?

-KAM:

-Yeah, plenty of times.

Have I been...? You don't even know me!

I don't even know you.

She's telling me... I don't even know you.

For starters, you are in the wrong here, not me.

You are in the wrong here, not me.

No, I'm not in the wrong.

You're being rude to me.

Your vehicle was filmed. I'm not being rude, I'm trying to talk.

-You just said it then. Did you hear?

-I'm trying to talk to you.

Did you hear what she just said?

-I've got to be honest...

-Go away.

-No, I think YOU need to go away.

-I'm going away because you're rude.

Your ticket will come through the post, boss.

I'll give you a wave!

-It will come through in the post.

-You're so rude.

-You've been warned.

You're rude, that's all you are.

That's all you're good for!

I'll give you another wave.

'Not a happy chappie.'

Ouch.

'But it looks like the driver's outburst was a step too far.'

-What's happening now, Kam?

-He's getting a ticket.

I'm going to put him down as a VDA. It'll come through the post.

-What's VDA?

-That warning didn't do nothing.

-What's a VDA?

-A VDA is vehicle's driven off.

So what they'll do, they'll just send it through the post.

That argy-bargy tipped Kam over the edge,

and he's been issued with a £130 on-the-spot fine.

-You're wound up, aren't you?

-I am wound up now. Yeah.

I'm just doing my job.

I have no desire of coming here and moving you on.

I've been called because somebody has complained about it.

This incident has happened literally on the way to base.

I'm going to be going back for a lunch hour anyway

and that'll give me time to sort of calm down, gather my thoughts.

And then by the time I come back on street,

hopefully I will have calmed down.

-You'll be the old Kam.

-Yes.

-Not angry Kam.

No, I don't like being angry Kam.

Come on. We'll get you a cup of tea.

-I think you need a sugar in that, don't you?

-Yeah!

That's all for today.

Join me next time when I'll be out with the men and women

who issue Britain's on-the-spot fines.