A MAN has had his van clamped after three years of receiving wrong DartCharge fines.

Steve Bates, 53, of Westbourne Grove, Westcliff, drives a white Ford pickup truck with the registration plate EX58 UFD, but has been receiving fines for an almost identical van, with the registration plate EX58 UFB.

The resident claims to have received more than 20 fines since 2015, and top things off, this week his van was clamped while parked on his driveway and Mr Bates was told the clamp will not be removed until the fines are resolved.

Mr Bates claims to have contacted Dart Charge organisers on multiple occasions, on to be told the issue was being looked into and would be dealt with.

Mr Bates said: “This has been going on since 2015. His van is the same colour, make, model, the only difference is his is a B and mine is a D. And I just keep getting these notices of Dart Charges where he is using the tunnel and the bridge freely.

“I keep getting told they are aware of the issue, but then a few days later I will get another notice.

“And then the icing cake is when they come out and clamp the car. My wife is hideously embarrassed, the van is sitting on the drive clamped so of course I am getting the blame from her. “

Mr Bates’ van was clamped on Monday night, but is yet to be told when the clamp will be removed.

Fortunately, the van is only used sparingly, with Mr Bates wondering how he would have coped this week if he relied on the van for work.

Mr Bates added: “I have 20 or so, maybe more tickets for this now. It is truly ridiculous.

“I set up a Dart Charge account so I could pay automatically, and then £20 disappeared within a couple of days. I had no clue what was going on, but obviously his van was flagging up as my account.

“I’m not quite sure what to do, I was on the phone for over an hour the other day and achieved nothing. Then the bailiff turns up and just keep saying its not our problem and you’ll have to talk to the Dart Charge people.

“If that was my livelihood, I would be in serious trouble, it would be days without work.”

A spokesman for Highways England said; “We have processed more than 150 million payments under Dart Charge and the vast majority of them have been smooth and hassle-free. When there are problems we always try and put things right with a minimum of fuss.

“We’re sorry for the inconvenience this has caused. Another driver had a damaged number plate which made it look like Mr Bates Vehicle. We’ve now flagged the number plate on our systems, so it will get extra manual checks in future before any fine is sent out.”