Bus gate fine costs man hundreds of pounds

[dutchman]

The first Martin Smith knew of the £408 fine was a bailiff calling at his home to take away his car



A man from Earlsdon has been made to pay £408 for driving through a bus gate - after the council sent demands to his old address.

Martin Smith, a former manager at HSBC, was told by the city council he had driven through the Warwick Road bus gate on February 7.

The fine was sent to his previous address because he didn't notify the DVLA he had moved home for two months.

The first he knew of it was a bailiff calling at his home to take away his car.

The original request was for £30, but after seven months of Coventry City Council sending notices to Smith's old address, he was made to pay £408.

The notices continued to go to his previous address despite him informing the DVLA of his move on April 10 - two months after he had moved.

Mr Smith paid the whopping fine, but is now pursuing a refund as he believes the escalation is down to an administrative mistake by the council.

"I went to the council - you can't speak to anybody face to face, so on the phone I was speaking to the administrator to take me through security details. When I gave my address she said I wasn't living there.

"I know they have my correct address, because it's correct on the electoral roll, it corresponds to my council tax which they take every month.

"There was no correspondence sent to my new address. She said [the council] only gets information from the DVLA, which is how we have found where you’re living now."

[rebbonk]

He's on a hiding to nothing.

1) He ought have advised the DVLA before he did.

2) The Post office offer a forwarding scheme for exactly this purpose.

a former manager at HSBC

- Says it all

[Jock Strapp]

Spot on Rebbonk. First he committed the offence then he committed another by not notifying the DVLA of his change of address. What a plonker.