Thread: Is this a private company pretending to be the DVLA and running a wheel-clamp fees racket? (PHOTOS)

NCP do act as agents for the DVLA in regards to clamping and vehicle removal.

Whether this van was a genuine part of that is anybody's guess.

Hi, I can confirm it looks like a genuine NCP vehicle, working on behalf of DVLA clamping scheme

They work under the scheme to do the following,
1. Clamp untaxed vehicles
2. Clamp fake tax disc vehicles
3. Clamp untaxed vehicles, declared Sorned, parked on public roads/ground
4. Clamp untaxed vehicles, not declared Sorned, parked on private roads/ground

The van operatives are not allowed to accept monies to remove the clamp, payment can only be made at the regional office, who authorizes the removal of the clamp or allow the register keeper or there agent to remove the vehicle from the pound, if the vehicle was recovered to the regional pound, (which happens 24/48 after the vehicle was clamped)

The costs are
1. £80 fine + a valid tax disc or £120 surety fee (which is returned when a valid tax disc is show, which you have 14 days to buy and show the new valid tax disc)
2. £25 per day storage fee

You can pay for the fine etc, by phoning the NCP office and using your card, but if the vehicle is impounded, then you need to go to your local office/pound and pay for it and recover your vehicle.


Hope this clears this up for you

ncp do act for dvla

only on property they have a vested interest in

ie

private parking contracts etc

they cant drive around preporting to be dvla on the public highway and have no powers

on the van should be a sign saying wheel clamping unit

i know as a pal of mine works at a dvla local office

this has [problem] written all over it

i totally agree with coniff on this one

Originally Posted by Conniff

Don't agree with that. As agents, the DVLA contact them and ask them to clamp so and so car. They cannot drive around in a van puporting to BE the DVLA.

I think (and I stress think, as I don't definitely know) that they act as agents of DVLA via ANPR.

IOW, they are not targeted on a particular car at address X, but can drive around and wait for an ANPR 'ping' and then clamp.

Originally Posted by postggj

ncp do act for dvla

only on property they have a vested interest in

ie

private parking contracts etc

they cant drive around preporting to be dvla on the public highway and have no powers

on the van should be a sign saying wheel clamping unit

i know as a pal of mine works at a dvla local office

this has [problem] written all over it

i totally agree with coniff on this one

Sorry, but NCP do act for DVLA or the public highway; they are the main clamping agents/partners for DVLA and are not restricted to land in which they have a vested interest.

See here.

NSL Ltd is the new name for the NCP services arm.

but they have to act on instructions from dvla

they cant tout for biz and act on there own by clamping with out authority

or do i have it wrong

do these unoficial vans have access to dvla data ref name address etc

Do they have permission to drive over or park on public footpaths too? (see pic 1)

Send the pic to DVLA and demand they prosecute the driver for obstructing and damaging the footpath.

AND for looking like a yellow smilie.

That'll give the same response to thioe complaining about a fine for NOT SORNing a vehicle. (So what, we don;t care!)

Just been looking through your forums regarding DVLA and came across this thread. I used to work as a civil enforcement officer working for NCP as a wheel clamper and would like to add my comments as a now ex-employee.

As mentioned earlier NSL Ltd (formerly NCP) are the main contractors for enforcement of road tax evasion in scotland, england wales etc. The vans such as the one pictured are linked to the dvla database and equipped with anpr. When i was out in one of their vans,the anpr 'pinged' the car details were checked against the dvla database and an authority to clamp authorised or not authorised. If authority give, vehicle was clamped, photographs taken in all cases and information left on the windscreen area of where to contact to have the clamp removed.

At no time during my time with NCP did i ever clamp a vehicle that i did not have authority to clamp.

When i started work with NCP my details were sent to the DVLA and i was issued after been checked out with a clamping operatives id card.

The thread earlier about the operatives being reluctant to have their photos is one that i fully understand. Those guys have the same rights not to be photographed as you do. Regardless of what you said your motives were.

Looking through the threads about clamping and road tax, i have no sympathy for people being clamped. If your car is going to be kept off road, then it only takes a 2 minute phone call to sorn it over the phone with the dvla.

There are a lot of cowboy clampers about and i do empathise with people who have been clamped by cowboy clampers for being illegally parked as the cases are more gray ie signage, rules of car parking etc. Clamping for road tax is more black and white, the vehicle is either taxed or it isnt. if sorned must be kept in a location covered under the paragraphs in the finance act 2008 that allowed ncp to enter private property. The costs for clamping for ncp are moderated by the dvla. The costs by cowboy campers are unmonitored.

Either tax it or sorn it, if you dont do it properly you deserve all you get. Why should i pay my road tax and people try to avoid it.

As wheelgeezer wanting to send a photo to get the van done for parking on a pavement, i take it that in all your life you have never done the same. i dont think so!!!

Happy contrails

Ref the silver peugeot not being clamped. It could well have been that the vehicle owner did have a valid tax disc but just wasnt displaying it. Ie anpr never pinged as valid disc held on database.

I think you do a good job doing the Neighbourhood Watch but NSL are genuine.

Originally Posted by flyingjock1

The thread earlier about the operatives being reluctant to have their photos is one that i fully understand. Those guys have the same rights not to be photographed as you do. Regardless of what you said your motives were.

IOW, no real right at all as anybody can take pictures of anyone in a public place.

if sorned must be kept in a location covered under the paragraphs in the finance act 2008 that allowed ncp to enter private property.

Not quite.

If on SORN, the vehicle must be kept off the public highway (as defined in VERA)

The amendments to VERA under the Finance Act 2008 only allow clamping on private property when a vehicle has neither VED nor SORN showing against it.

And my 2p - regarding parking on the footpath, you seem to think just because the complainant MAY have done so somwhow excuses the practice? In my book, it remains a calculated risk (whether my vehicle is at risk or if I cause problems to pedestrians). cI like to think I park intelligently, but if 'caught' I'd accept the tickets as the risk for doing it.

Pat

You are quite correct, ill put my hands up and say i worded it wrongly. VERA and the finance act do advise where an unsorned/untaxed can be kept without the risk of being clamped.

Buzby

Not condoning parking on the pavement at all. Just pointing out that people shouldnt be making comments unless they can hand or heart say theyve never done the same thing.

On a separate note

Looking on the ITV news night in england they are having massive problems with clamping firms and their practices. In my time of travelling around the scotland i never saw many clamping firms up here. Clamping by private firms on private ground up here is illegal (and im talking about for parking offences not for road tax evasion). So compared to england were quite lucky.

Originally Posted by flyingjock1

Not condoning parking on the pavement at all. Just pointing out that people shouldnt be making comments unless they can hand or heart say theyve never done the same thing.

So would this rule extend to police officers / enforcement officers / government officials?

If you read my previous comments, i didnt condone parking on pavements. No-one regardless of their position or standing should be doing it, but it happens. If you want to go about taking photos of vehicles illegally parked then youd better get a camera with a good memory card.