I’ve been sent over one HUNDRED car fines & bailiffs won’t stop chasing me – but I can’t even drive
A MAN who can't even drive has been sent more than 100 motoring fines.
Rob Richards is being chased by bailiffs over the penalties despite never holding a licence.
The letters are being sent to his home in Quinton, near Birmingham, addressed to another motorist.
They include parking demands, speeding fines and even charges for driving over the Dartford Crossing more than 115 miles away.
The NHS admin worker said: "It is annoying and it's a nuisance."
He said the flood of letters from organisations including Sandwell Council, car rental company Hertz and Thames Valley Police had become "meaningless" because there are so many.
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Rob added: "If these companies put as much effort as chasing me into resolving the issues, it would be sorted in a few days."
It comes after Barry, 74, recently told BBC investigators how he doesn't have a licence but received £23,000 in motoring fines.
He was suffering "inner turmoil" after 200 fines were sent to him addressed to two different drivers he had never heard of.
Meanwhile Stewart Gardner got dozens of demands including Clean Air Zone charges and parking fines for a car he does not own.
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Since October, around 30 letters have arrived through his door.
"It's alarming to think how common it is and it's frustrating that people can get away with it" he said.
The teacher had contacted the DVLA to remove the vehicle registration from his home address to try to resolve it.
Stewart, from Erdington, Birmingham, said: "It makes them feel invincible as they've addressed the letters to someone else.
"It's so easy to not be accountable for your driving and it's frustrating that people can get away with it."
The DLVA said it is "looking into the complaints" and advises people who are sent fines for vehicles they do not own to return them to the organisation that has contacted them.
Motorists are also advised to notify the DVLA straight away if they are contacted about a vehicle they have never owned.
Bosses will then send a letter to the person who contacted them, confirming they are not the vehicle keeper.
If necessary, they will advise the person about how to contact Action Fraud, the national fraud and cyber crime reporting centre.
Parking fine loopholes – four tips for getting your fine cancelled
PARKING penalties can set you back hundreds of pounds - but there are ways to get off an unfair fee.
Here are our four top tips for getting your parking fine cancelled.
If you plan to appeal it, don't pay
Parking tickets tend to double in price after 14 days, but paying is usually seen as admission of liability.
So if you want to get out of it, it's advisable not to pay.
And if your appeal fails within 14 days, you can still pay just half the amount you could otherwise expect to.
But you could also avoid paying it altogether, if your appeal succeeds.
Check when the ticket was issued
One key loophole for fined drivers is that if your ticket was issued more than two weeks after the alleged offence, it's not valid.
That's according to the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012.
You'd be lucky for a council or private firm to make such a rookie error, but with tickets now so common, it's always worth a check.
You didn't overstay your welcome
Private car parks seem increasingly strict about how long drivers can stay.
And that can lead them to fine you without checking your rights to think about your decision - and a grace period.
According to the British Parking Association's Code of Practice, drivers get a five-minute consideration window at the beginning of their stay.
And since April 2015, motorists have been legally granted a ten-minute grace period at the end of a valid council car park stay.
Your ticket wasn't visible
Parking wardens don't tend to spend very long checking a vehicle before they place a ticket down, especially in a busy car park.
That means they could miss your ticket if it's well hidden or has fallen down the dashboard.
If that applies to you, simply send the council a snap of your valid ticket and your fine should be reversed.
Citizens Advice recommends appealing if you have any doubts about the fairness of your ticket.