Trout

iTrader: (1)

Warning - Daily Mail style rant coming up!

As I live in a field I was glad of my next door neighbour getting his digger out and clearing our drive of the 8in of snow so we could at least get out. He was telling me that local farmers had been warned by HMRC that they should NOT try and help out with their tractors if they were using Red Diesel as helping out on the roads was not approved use of non-excise fuel!!!

He said that at last years Yorkshire show where lots of cars got stuck in the muddy car park (field) and some tractors helped to tow them out. Maybe a few litres of diesel. They were prosecuted by the HMRC.

Sad sacks!

LG John

Unreal.

Just, unreal.

specialx

Our world is f****D!

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

Nothing, absolutely NOTHING that HMRC do, would surprise me in the least.

They think they run this country, and are a law unto themselves.

I was once asked how much cash I was carrying when going across the channel.

I responded by asking the "lady" what gave her the right to ask that.

She REALLY got on her high horse and said, "I'm a member of Her Majesty's Customs and Excise, and I have the right to ask anything I choose!"

I just smiled and said, "Well last time I looked, I was NOT living in a police state, so I have the right to refuse to answer. Goodbye," and drove on.

No comebacks.

RA Dunk

Jeez, that sounds like the fecking Gestapo to me.

CrisPDuk

I believe they were the template Blunkett and Prescott used when the decided to create the monster

The Dogs B******s

Leslie

I think that is a truly amazing story Trout. How can anyone be so institutionally minded as to come up with that one. I think that farmers should go out in the night and block up all their drives with snow!

They want stuffing!

Les

Frosticles

iTrader: (1)

Bureaucracy at it's worst

Trout

iTrader: (1)

Les - that is absolutely a top idea! If they did it with snow that would be non-agricultural use though. What they need to do is block them with those massive hay bales then it would be fine

Even I am flabbergasted by this one!

Trout

ReallyReallyGoodMeat

I don't believe what this guy is saying, literally.

Rather than treating rumour as fact, I'd like to see evidence of these prosecutions or it didn't happen.

tony de wonderful

Can the butler not clear the snow?

Daryl

The Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 gives customs officers the right to ask how much cash you are carrying. She should have explained that to you, so I'm not surprised that you weren't impressed.

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

And I assume I still have the right to silence?

Daryl

No you don't - you must answer any relevant question that is put to you. If you don't then you are committing an offence and are liable to arrest. Once arrested you would then have the right to silence!

However, if the officer is unable to explain under what legislation you are required to answer, then they would be on shaky ground legally. Merely stating that "I am a customs officer and can ask what I want" doesn't cut it!

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

Interesting.

And is it true that customs can't stop you just for a random check? That they have to have a reason?

Daryl

That's an interesting question - random checks waste everyone's time, so it's probably fair to say that they would always try to stop people for a reason. Legally, however, any person entering or leaving the UK is liable to be questioned and any bag or vehicle can be searched by a customs officer.

ScoobyDriverWannabe

For years not far from where I live there was a couple of snow plough blade things left next to the village green.

Dont know who they belonged to but when there was bad weather a couple of farmers used to go up with their tractors, attach them and drive round the village clearing the roads.

They had to stop doing it because of insurance & health and safety.

Trout

iTrader: (1)

My next door neighbour was thinking of clearing the road outside where we live with his digger as well as doing our drives - he then said he decided not to as when he started a big chunk of ice came up and he thought that if someone went off he could get sued. So he has left it for the council not to do it.

In eight years of living here we have only seen a gritter lorry on our road once. Glad to see our rates are being used well!

Trout

iTrader: (1)

Not when the gardener has already done it

Lee247

We have lived in the sticks for over 12 years now and I have never seen the council gritter come down our track.
We ask every year for a grit bucket to be placed on the track and they haven't even managed to do that, useless cretins

As for HMRC, I would imagine, the people who the farmers are helping would tell them to get stuffed.
Tractors have to go on the roads. How many times do you get stuck behind one
HMRC would have one hell of a job enforcing this stupidity.

chris666

We have a stand every year at the yorkshire show and the last two years tractors have had to pull us out of the carpark
on the last day of the show everything has to be off the site by morning
but we are not allowed to go on site with vans etc untill the public has left so we are put in a muddy field(carpark) untill 7-8 pm
then its madness getting out(like a race)
if the farmers did'nt help no one would get out

also a couple of years back if you went to the milking shed onsite the farmers would give you a few pints of fresh milk for free
untill some visiter moned that it gave her gutache(not the burgers & wine she had had)
so they had to stop

madscoob

iTrader: (3)

all the farmers have to do is say they are visiting thier stock on thier land you are allowed to travel 16 miles by road on red this way ime led to believe , i know sopmeone who has removed the **** end on a 90landrover and fitted a agri drawbar , its now a tractor no mot no tax and runs on red on the road max 16miles though

Leslie

What possible reason would the bloke have for lying about it?

Les

PaulC72

Why did you not just move your caravan closer to the road?

Stupid people really.

Leslie

Too much snow!

Les