As I'm now a little bit better...

...I feel the desire to share with you a small story I heard on the radio this evening. This occurred in London, but could've happened anywhere really.

The main protagonist in this story had left her car in the same parking space that she'd parked in for 18 months. On returning to the car one day, she discovered it was missing - and that freshly painted double yellow lines* were painted on the road where it had been. She knew it hadn't been stolen (for the very simple reason that the car battery was in her flat being recharged after going flat) and assumed it had been removed so that the lines could be painted.

It took her three days to find her car, as the clampers hadn't bothered to report it as being in their pound. They then demanded a large amount of money to give it back. Undeterred, the owner demanded photographic proof of her transgression (as one can do by law) and was sent a series of photos of her car parked on the double yellow lines.

She contacted her local MP, and rightly pointed out that the photos must have been faked as the car was undriveable and she had witnesses to this effect. Her MP contacted the council, whom instantly backed down (this whole process had taken two months!)

What had really happened? Well the clampers arrived with the road workers, lifted the car onto their truck, waited until the lines were painted and then put the car back, clamped it for being parked illegally, and towed it away in an attempt to make a vast sum of cash.

I feel justified in summing the whole story up in a word:

Bastards.



*You can't park on double yellow lines in the UK without getting a ticket.

P.S. Mrs. Red Squirrel is coming out of hospital today. Thanks to everyone for the good wishes :)