Warning - fined in Henley

[Mataji]

After arriving at Mill Meadow moorings yesterday morning at 10.05 I read on the sign that mooring was free from 10.00am until 3.00pm. Off I went to the shops. When I returned at 11.15 I found a ticket on the boat. £75 fine for not registering my arrival. I caught up with mooring attendant who said I should have read all of the sign.
Who reads all the small print?

 

[harvey38]

And the small print read?

 

[Mataji]

The smaller print said boats should register on arrival

 

[madabouttheboat]

I doubt it is a fine, it will likely be an invoice dressed to look like a fine. There is a big difference.

 

[Mataji]

The local council have contracted out the collection of fees to a bunch of robbers called Pay4moorng. Same at Wallingford, but I don’t think they have as many parking wardens there. At least one other boat was caught out the same morning as me. My advice is - register for mooring if you are going to leave your boat unattended. It’s free until 3.00 pm and £12 after that for the night.
I’m sure it’s a good money spinner for them. The first line of the notice does say to read the whole notice, but after I got to “free from 10 till 3 I couldn’t be bothered to read the rest. I’m sure many others have been caught the same way.

 

[westernman]

We have the same kind of thing in a town near here.
There are free parking spaces where you can park for 1 hour.

But you have to get a ticket from the ticket machine for 0 euros!

If you don't have the ticket, then you will be fined.
The usual method is to use the blue disc where you show your arrival time. But that does not work/apply here.
You must have a parking ticket - even if you pay 0 euros for it.

 

[wonkywinch]

I doubt it is a fine, it will likely be an invoice dressed to look like a fine. There is a big difference.

Very possible. It's worth the OP reading up on these "charge notices" before coughing up.

Parking tickets, fines & parking

PePiPoo: UK Motoring Law - FAQs and Forums

Private parking tickets

 

[oldgit]

We recently moored on that meadow down stream from Henley Bridge back down towards the lock.
Chap came round in the evening to collect the money. £15.00.
Moorings above bridge were packed.

 

[Scapegoat]

We recently moored on that meadow down stream from Henley Bridge back down towards the lock.
Chap came round in the evening to collect the money. £15.00.
Moorings above bridge were packed.

Different collector - Hobbs, I think, below the bridge.
District Enforcement on Mill Meadow

 

[DougOut]

I must be really dumb but I can't see where it says that you need to register as soon as you arrive. We arrived at about 1pm and after the usual mucking about it was almost 3 before I went online and registered. I'll be more careful next time.

 

[SaltIre]

I must be really dumb but I can't see where it says that you need to register as soon as you arrive. We arrived at about 1pm and after the usual mucking about it was almost 3 before I went online and registered. I'll be more careful next time.

The bit that says you need to register upon arrival kind of says you need to register as soon as you arrive - not a couple of hours later.

 

[DougOut]

Wow, that's their basis for issuing a penalty? think that might fall foul of the unfair contracts legislation as It doesn't say IMMEDIATELY on arrival.

 

[penberth3]

Wow, that's their basis for issuing a penalty? think that might fall foul of the unfair contracts legislation as It doesn't say IMMEDIATELY on arrival.

Rubbish! Even the worst of the shopping centre operators give a reasonable time to park and buy a ticket. 5-10 minutes? Nothing unfair about that.

 

[madabouttheboat]

Just going to reiterate. it's not a fine or a penalty. It's an invoice. it even alludes to this on their sign.

What you do with this information is up to you, but I know what I would do.

 

[penberth3]

......I found a ticket on the boat. £75 fine for not registering my arrival. I caught up with mooring attendant who said I should have read all of the sign.
Who reads all the small print?

You know how these things work. Read the small print, all of it!

 

[DougOut]

Rubbish! Even the worst of the shopping centre operators give a reasonable time to park and buy a ticket. 5-10 minutes? Nothing unfair about that.

You may well think so but I don't. It's unclear and that's what matters. Based on my experience working for a Local authority that's a definite out.

 

[Outinthedinghy]

I wonder what legislation the council would use if it went to court.

Do they have byelaw or other statute to enable them to control moorings?

If not it might prove to be Ultra Vires.

Not saying it is but it might be.

Richmond (LBRUT) found out about this and ended up getting a byelaw.


Local authorities are creatures of statute and must only do things which statute specifically allows them to do.

 

[Antony Collis]

I read that sign,
I would have 'misread' it (for misread it i mean differently to how they intended) .

I would have assumed, even if i read it all that it was free in the free period but i would have to register during the pay hours in order to make the payment.

it should state 'ALL VESSELS NEED TO REGISTERED AT ALL TIMES' in big letters and then go on to say that some of the times are free.
I believe this is engineered to be ambiguous