Drainage lorry clamped on emergency call

A drainage services company was angered today when two of its vehicles were clamped after they responded to an emergency call from a Dublin city centre retailer with a flooded basement.

Drain Services Ltd, sent a truck and a van to the Westmoreland St branch of Black Tie to deal with a blocked sewer. According to a Black Tie employee, the A&T vehicles were clamped "within minutes" of their arrival at 9.25 a.m.

A&T contacted the company assigned to carry clamping duties in the city, Control Plus, and pointed out its vehicles were responding to an emergency call.

It is also pointed out that no warning sticker was placed on one of the vehicles, risking potential serious damage if the vehicle was moved. The clamps were placed on the passenger side of the vehicles which were parked on the right-hand side of the street.

A spokeswoman for the company said she was told in future to get a Temporary Position Permit - which can take up to two weeks. It took nearly two hours for the clamps to be removed after the fine was paid, with the result that the company lost revenue, the spokeswoman said.

Mr Paul McCarthy, a parking enforcement officer with Dublin City Council, said although ambulances, fire engines, and Garda cars have parking waivers, it was "not feasible to give parking licenses for all companies to park illegally".

He said a "reasonable attitude" was taken with regard to companies providing emergency services in the city centre. "If a company informs us that they are on the way to a particular area Control Plus would be made aware of that".

He said in a case such as this if a company appeals the clamping fine it would be looked at on its own merits for a possible refund. Dublin City Council is running a pilot scheme that imposes stricter parking regulations on commercial vehicles.