A British man who had his car clamped outside his home used an angle-grinder to cut it in two. Ian Taylor's car, which he had bought for $100 for his stepson to use (guess he doesn't like his stepson much) and had yet to tax, was parked on his front drive, but was protruding by two inches onto the pavement. Although Taylor had legally registered it to be off the road, the clampers didn't care, and stuck a Denver Boot on it. Taylor's revenge was to play "Will it Angle-Grind?" on the vehicle.
Using a petrol-powered disc cutter, 40-year-old Taylor sawed the Ford Fiesta in half, almost setting it on fire in the process. Both the Fire Brigade and the police were called in, amid reports of a crazed man on the loose with a chainsaw (memo to onlookers, KNOW YOUR TOOLS).
Taylor, a builder, was originally going to restore the Fiesta but, realizing it was beyond repair, decided to scrap it. And then the clampers turned up. "We tried to talk to [the parking enforcers]," said 40-year-old Taylor. "I said, 'you're not taking it.' I got my cutter and cut it in half," he said. "[I'm] happy I got one over on them. They're jobsworths, for the sake of an inch and a half on the path."
The clampers saw it differently, however. "We were astonished at the reaction this gentleman had to the fact we put a clamp on his car," said a spokesman for NCP Services. "It was a remarkable incident which highlighted some of the problems my colleagues face while they're doing what is a very important job in ensuring that motorists tax their vehicle." Yes, but—
"And in cutting his car in two," continued the spokesman, "he managed to put both himself at risk and also a number of bystanders—along with ourselves, the police had to be called and the fire brigade, as he set fire to the car while cutting it in two." Finished?
Apparently not. "Fortunately, the only damage was done to his car and as far as our people are concerned we stand by what they did." Thank you. [The Sun and BBC News]
