BY ROSETTA DONNELLY

A LOCAL doctor was furious to find his car had been clamped outside the surgery in Trillick last Friday.

Dr Paul Reilly was on duty in the area and had just pulled his new Mercedes car into the "doctor" bay and gone inside to his waiting patients when an official from an Omagh based company clamped the wheels.

He was alerted to the action by a neighbour and he rushed outside to remonstrate with the official. "I was shocked" said Dr Paul, "I was very concerned that I would not have a car in case of emergency".

ANGRY

The doctor was equally angry because his car was taxed but did not have a disc on it. "I had only bought the car two weeks before but the previous owner had a cherished numberplate and wanted to hold on to it.

He said the official from the car clamping company was very helpful and explained what had happened. "Apparently a camera had spotted that the car had no tax disc and that he was told directly by Coleraine to clamp the car."

DEPARTMENT

"I just think it is ridiculous given that one department in Coleraine knew that the car was taxed and that another department of the same organisation ordered that the car get clamped.

"If I had have overlooked taxing it and went out to find it clamped, that would have been hard to deal with but I would have had to live with it, but when the car was fully legal and I get clamped, it's frustrating.

"I shudder to think what might have happened if I had been asked to deal with an emergency," he added.

The doctor said he had been advised that he could write to DVLNI in Coleraine to complain but he has not done so yet.

The DVLNI was contacted by the UlsterHerald but at the time of going to print had not replied.