Inverness fines dodgers pay up after bank shock

Three Inverness men paid up £1000 to settle unpaid fines for motoring offences after getting a nasty shock when they found their bank accounts had been had been frozen.

One driver fined at Tain Sheriff Court for speeding in 2017 and again in 2018 had ignored repeated warning letters and avoided settling his £410 fines. But the money was fully recovered after fines officers issued a bank arrestment order.

The two other drivers were both fined £300 at Tain for speeding offences and paid up in full after their accounts were frozen as did an Aberdeen driver who owed £200 for a speeding offence.

Arresting earnings and freezing bank accounts are among a number of measures available to the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) for recovering unpaid fines. Other enforcement measures include arresting people travelling through ports or airports, taking money directly from benefits or clamping vehicles.

Drivers also have to pay a clamping charge and mounting daily fees if a clamped car is taken into storage. Vehicles are ultimately scrapped or sold off if they do not settle their fines.

SCTS chief operations officer David Fraser said: “It is very unwise not to pay a fine or not to engage with an enforcement officer if someone is having difficulty paying.

"With our national dedicated team of fines enforcement officers, non-payment of a fine or non-engagement is simply not an option.”

All defaulters are issued warnings before action is taken.

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