Panorama

Season 2014

Episode 14: Don't Take My Car: Bailiffs Undercover

Panorama goes undercover to expose the bailiffs who seize cars and demand huge fees in what has become a multimillion-pound business: chasing unpaid parking tickets. Bailiffs recovering debts for local authorities say they do a public service, hunting down those who don't pay up. But Panorama has evidence that some bailiffs are intimidating motorists, exaggerating their powers and pumping up fees. As councils report increasing revenues from penalty fines, reporter John Sweeney investigates whether new laws to curb the bailiffs' worst excesses go far enough.