Hi, About 6 weeks ago our dog "escaped" from our back garden while we were both at work. We had had her only 2 weeks (got her from a rescue centre) and had been leaving her in the conservatory with the door open so she can go into the garden to use the toilet. We always keep the back gate shut and bolted, but when my wife got home from work the dog was gone and the gate was undone. My wife called he police as she thought someone had broken into the garden and taken the dog. However 10 mins later she had a call from a dog warden saying they had picked the dog up following a call from a local resident (dog was only 50 yeards from our house). We think someone had walked down the alley, saw that the conservatory was open and got over the fence to have a look, (nothing was taken as we had moved pretty much everything into the house for this very reason), they just took the dog and left the gate open. Anyway the warden had only had the dog for about 20 mins when my wife arrived to pick her up, however he refused to hand the dog over and she had to stay the night, my wife then had to pay £31 to get her back. During her time with the warden her collar (which we paid £20 for) had gone missing! The warden blamed it on the vet, the vet blamed it on the warden! Now 6 weeks later we recieve an invoice from maidstone council for a £60 Out of Hours Collection Fee, basically a charge for "letting the dog stray" and for them picking the dog up and taking her to the kennels! Can anyone advise where we stand with regards to paying/not paying this! The dog did not "stray", we believe she was stolen and then left by whoever took her. Does this not make us the victim of a crime? If so is it right that we have had to pay £31 intially anf now another £60? AND someone at either the vets or wardens (probably wardens) have blatantly stolen her collar?! Because nothing was taken and we got the dog back quite quickly she didn't bother pursuing the break in with the police, we just stopped leaving the conservatory door open and started using indoor puppy pads. She is phonng the council today but I wanted to get some advice from anyone who knows a little about these issues. Thanks, Pete

Hi, I not sure if this is the right section or not for this, I couldn't find anywhere relevant. Mods please move if in wrong place. A friend has recently had trouble with his neighbour. A while ago he started getting damp appear on the upper section of wall that are adjoined to the neighbours house. The damp gradually got worse and in the end my friend had someone out to assess it. It appears that the damp is caused by a water leak from the neighbours house (upstairs bathroom). The damp damage is quite extensive and the guy gave an estimate of £3-£5,000 for repair work. On top of this the neighbour is somewhat un-cooperative and will probably ignore the problem and refuse to admit liability. They did want to sell up and move in a few months but obviously all this will affect that. What are their options regarding: -Court action (should the neighbour refuse to sort it) -Environmental health enforcement?? Thanks Pete

But what is innadequate or confusing about it? Does this sign not apply to this section of bus stop? Why would it be here? There is nowhere else it could be used for there!?

Thats the one. Thanks for photos Starfarer. Yes, you see it says "No Stopping Except for Local Buses" at the far end of the bus stop (where the bus timetable is displayed) but at the near end it has the Controlled Zone sign with times 9am-5.30pm Mon-Sat, does that mean you can stop to drop off/pick up at that this section of the bus stop outside of those restricted times? The incidient occured on Sat at 20:03.

Quick update... my wife was in the area for a funeral yesterday and had a look at the bus stop where the cctv images for the PCN were taken. She said it is the bus stop right outside Macdonals along Bellegrove Road, just past the Lloyds bank. She said she couldnt see any fixed signs that warn of fines for stopping. . Just before the bus stop there are dotted white lines for a long parking bay with restricted times (No waiting mon-sat 9am-5.30pm) and a camera sign next to this. I dont think these are for the bus stop too though, just the parking bay.

When I make my formal representations, how many of the boxes can I tick? It says that I can only tick one of the form above, but I've been lead to believe I can tick as many as I like? Are they not mis-leading by saying only one?

How so?

Well I'm assuming they've taken what hey think is my reg number from the photo and contacted the DVLA, who, with the reg number, would give them all the vehicle details.

Yes, I think they have the wrong vrm, I think its something like GK04 FKH (same make and model of my car), or GR04 FKM (a ford fiesta I think), GR04 FHM again a fiesta. In fact there are lots of variations of the vrm that it could be, youcant identify it enough to be 100% sure, can you? I wouldn't know exact location, the PCN doesn't say and I'm pretty sure I wasn't even there! Would they hold any other photos? Or just the 2 that they sent (above)? How do you mean smart car and CEO??

Good stuff!

god advice from sillygirl

Hi, Thankyou very much for your help! The street was Bellegrove Road, Welling. Time was 20:03 (do buses operate at that time on a saturday?), 11th sept. If you have an email address I can send you some pics, or the link to this on another forums?

Hi, This morning I returned from work to find a PCN from Bexley council on my doormat. It was a code 47J Stopped on a restricted bus stop. I do not remember being in Bexley and doing this, nor does my wife. This happened on 11th sept 2010. Furthermore the camera evidence they have submitted shows very poor images (it was at night). You can barely see the registration plate, let alone what it says! Pictures of the PCN pages inc. photos are below, courtesy of Starfarer. Do you think there are any grounds for appeal? The fine was for £100 (£50 if paid within 21 days), is this also not a little excessive for stopping at a bus stop for a few seconds? Thanks! Pete

Outstanding! Thankyou very much guys, I appreciate your help. I will let you know of any letters they send me in the post (before I go to the toilet). It really amazes me how they are legally allowed to operate in this way. Pete

I phoned gatwick airport and the man gave me a phone number for Civil Enforcement Ltd, which I believe is a private company. It was meant to be their customer services number, but guess what, you cannot actually talk to anyone, you can only make payments through the automated service. Pete