14/Feb/2006, 12:14 PM
I am writing to suggest we need a new approach to those who openly deface and destroy our environment. I am not referring to the spray can wielding graffiti youths; hopefully an education solution is not beyond hope or possibility in their case. No, I am referring to the cowboy delivery drivers who imprint their mark on the residential streets of Barnet & Potters Bar. I am fed up with looking at the churned up verges and eyesores that their “could not care less” attitude imposes on us all.
I had cause to complain recently to a company about a driver delivering a skip. For the nth time in the last twelve months, a delivery vehicle mounted the kerb onto the drive during several manoeuvres to deliver and retrieve a skip. I immediately complained to the company concerned and they promised “someone there to look at the problem within 5 minutes”. This indeed happened, they sent the skip driver! A large gentlemen who proceeded to “Tap Dance” on one of the offending furrows before ringing the house bell.
He enquired of the nature of the problem and was directed to the area of his impromptu repair. I informed him that the fact that I now had flat mud, which while this was a marginal improvement, it was not comparable to the flat grass that I had previously enjoyed. I then directed him to a second area of damage, which he immediately and fervently denied causing. I offered to show him a video of him causing the damage. His attitude then completely changed and stated he did not understand why I was being so petty (an approximated translation of his actual response), it was not my land anyway, and the Council could repair it.
This is the point of the letter. He genuinely did not see that he had done anything wrong and if there was a bit of damage then the Council could fix it. I wonder how this gentleman would feel if I drove a rotivator round to his property and ploughed up the frontage to his house, and when he had repaired it I did it again, and again.
Clearly the council have given up in the battle against these cowboys who inflict destructive eyesores on the rest of us with apparent impunity. May I suggest an alternative penalty approach that will hopefully be so draconian that flouting it would be tantamount to commercial suicide? Clearly the full cost of repairs would need to be borne; in addition for the first offence a fine of £5000 plus court costs if contended would be levied. For every subsequent offence, the fine doubles! After a fourth offence the fine will be £50,000 or 20% of turnover of the company, which ever is the greater. A fine system similar in structure to that enforced for late payment of VAT. And you do not see much of that do you!
I had cause to complain recently to a company about a driver delivering a skip. For the nth time in the last twelve months, a delivery vehicle mounted the kerb onto the drive during several manoeuvres to deliver and retrieve a skip. I immediately complained to the company concerned and they promised “someone there to look at the problem within 5 minutes”. This indeed happened, they sent the skip driver! A large gentlemen who proceeded to “Tap Dance” on one of the offending furrows before ringing the house bell.
He enquired of the nature of the problem and was directed to the area of his impromptu repair. I informed him that the fact that I now had flat mud, which while this was a marginal improvement, it was not comparable to the flat grass that I had previously enjoyed. I then directed him to a second area of damage, which he immediately and fervently denied causing. I offered to show him a video of him causing the damage. His attitude then completely changed and stated he did not understand why I was being so petty (an approximated translation of his actual response), it was not my land anyway, and the Council could repair it.
This is the point of the letter. He genuinely did not see that he had done anything wrong and if there was a bit of damage then the Council could fix it. I wonder how this gentleman would feel if I drove a rotivator round to his property and ploughed up the frontage to his house, and when he had repaired it I did it again, and again.
Clearly the council have given up in the battle against these cowboys who inflict destructive eyesores on the rest of us with apparent impunity. May I suggest an alternative penalty approach that will hopefully be so draconian that flouting it would be tantamount to commercial suicide? Clearly the full cost of repairs would need to be borne; in addition for the first offence a fine of £5000 plus court costs if contended would be levied. For every subsequent offence, the fine doubles! After a fourth offence the fine will be £50,000 or 20% of turnover of the company, which ever is the greater. A fine system similar in structure to that enforced for late payment of VAT. And you do not see much of that do you!