Cars seized as fine enforcement efforts continue

Drivers with unpaid fines have been warned they risk having their vehicles clamped, taken into storage and ultimately scrapped or sold off if they do not settle outstanding motoring fines, the body responsible for fine enforcement has warned.

Five vehicles in Edinburgh and Midlothian were seized in one day, and a Fife man had to pay up more than £1,600 to settle five outstanding fines when his Audi car was clamped outside his home after a seizure order was issued, according to Scottish Courts & Tribunals Service (SCTS).

Offences involved in the Edinburgh and Midlothian cases ranged from drink driving and driving without insurance to not displaying a road tax disc.

A vehicle that was clamped in Dalkeith in May was removed to storage after the offender failed to pay their fines, and will be sold to recoup fines totalling £330 imposed for keeping an unlicensed vehicle and driving with no insurance.

Clamping is only one of the sanctions available to SCTS for recovering unpaid fines. Other measures include freezing bank accounts, taking money directly from earnings or benefits, and even arresting non-payers as they travel through ports or airports on holiday or business trips.

SCTS also released figues showing that 87% of the value of sheriff court fines imposed during the three-year period between 1 April 2012 and 31 March 2015 has either been fully paid or is on track to be paid through instalments. This is on par with the value of fines paid as at 11 April 2016.

SCTS chief operations officer David Fraser commented: “The fines enforcement team continue to be highly effective in securing unpaid fines – ignoring your fine and not speaking to an enforcement officer if you are having difficulty paying is very unwise. Failure to pay, or to engage with our officers, will result in strong sanctions being taken including your vehicle being clamped and possibly sold or scrapped, arrestment of wages, bank accounts, or inconvenience and embarrassment by being arrested when travelling abroad.”

All defaulters are issued warnings before action is taken. Those in genuine financial difficulty can engage with enforcement officers to discuss payment terms.