eqtworld: A warrant will do that.

They'll take your Cherry Pie, too.

It's Britain. No such thing as privacy or property rights.

One of Britain's biggest electricity companies mistakenly broke into a woman's home to change her meter even though she was not a customer.

Gun control country!

Um, why don't they just turn off the power? I think that would solve the problem.

In any case, I don't see how this woman is surprised. It's your country biatch. You made it that way.

I don't get it. Don't they just turn your power off when you don't pay your bill? Or is that just here in the US?

mark12A: It's Britain. No such thing as privacy or property rights.

Came in here to say that. In the US, meters must be installed on the outside of buildings where utility companies have access, or in common areas of multi-unit buildings. Technically speaking the utility company owns the meter so they can come onto your property to switch it out or whatever.

That said, you would think the jamokes sent to change the meter would have been able to take one look at it and say to themselves, "Hey wait a minute - this isn't one of ours."

/FAIL

mark12A: It's Britain. No such thing as privacy or property rights.

don't exaggerate

mark12A: It's Britain. No such thing as privacy or property rights.

fail.

Good. There's no such thing as a free lunch.

Damn thats crazy. I wasn't aware property owners had such a limited right to privacy in the UK.

see8563 Don't they just turn your power off when you don't pay your bill? Or is that just here in the US?

Even here in the US they can't turn off the power in the winter in most cold areas. Don't you know that people have a right to things they don't pay for?

[X]Mistake
[X]Warrant
[X]Britain

Forgive me for not caring.

Shocking

Dihnekis: Damn thats crazy. I wasn't aware property owners had such a limited right to privacy in the UK.

Apparently you aren't from America, where some people believe that the "right" to carry a firearm trumps a property owner's right to keep guns off their property. In America, guns are people too, and guns have more rights than most people.

Takes notes. Have the Utility companies conduct warrant less searches.

Ha...Ha...Ha....

British people don't have a Constitution to protect them from unreasonable searchs and don't have regular laws to protect privacy!


/ Amurika does...
// oh...wait

FTA: The powers have grown up piecemeal from EU directives and regulations. They allow the use of force and some carry draconian penalties for obstruction, including heavy fines and up to two years in jail.

Usual anti-EU bullsht from the Torygraph.

There is no such directive that forces the UK to fsck over its people. Most of these laws are the result of goode ole thatcherist marketism -- a purely USUK thing.

Wow, so it's finally come to president Bush allowing corporations to break into our homes.. and I am outraged...(reads the article)...

oh..

She ran out of Shillings?

(Bonus Points if you get that reference)

Hat Madder: see8563 Don't they just turn your power off when you don't pay your bill? Or is that just here in the US?

Even here in the US they can't turn off the power in the winter in most cold areas. Don't you know that people have a right to things they don't pay for?


Oh yea! I forgot about the Articles of Entitlement in the Constitution.

Hat Madder: see8563 Don't they just turn your power off when you don't pay your bill? Or is that just here in the US?

Even here in the US they can't turn off the power in the winter in most cold areas. Don't you know that people have a right to things they don't pay for?

Oh for the love of god. Yes, we don't live in a perfect libertopia. We don't have debtors' prisons any more either, and don't let 10 year olds work in coal mines even if they really really want to. When financial transactions involve life-and-death situations, some mild temporary leniency may actually be called for. Deal with it.

Macular Degenerate: That said, you would think the jamokes sent to change the meter would have been able to take one look at it and say to themselves, "Hey wait a minute - this isn't one of ours."

They don't generally change the meters when you switch providers. I switch about a year ago and still have the same weird, slowly-turning disc thing that was here when I moved in.

yes, but did they tidy up the place at all while they were in there?

/nanny state, blah blah blah and all that.

Anyone else think E.ON is the perfect name for an electric company?
Game over.

see8563: I don't get it. Don't they just turn your power off when you don't pay your bill? Or is that just here in the US?

Indeed.

And if this happened in Texas, or Georgia, or Florida, the power company people would probably have been shot as they entered. NTTAWWT

LocalCynic: Dihnekis: Damn thats crazy. I wasn't aware property owners had such a limited right to privacy in the UK.

Apparently you aren't from America, where some people believe that the "right" to carry a firearm trumps a property owner's right to keep guns off their property. In America, guns are people too, and guns have more rights than most people.

Corporations. You are thinking of corporations. I wish I was making a joke, but it's true.

Let me be the first to say

I would hit that.

LocalCynic: In America, guns are people too, and guns have more rights than most people.

Dude, WTF? You sure have a hard-on for GUNNZ!!@!!!11!1!one

I wonder how this would work w/ Castle Doctrine if the laws allowed in the US...

A private company can get a judicial warrant? Isn't that the role of whatever passes for police over there? Who does this energy company think it is? Blackwater?

Britain has such sensible people and BUGshiat CRAZY law. What the christ is going on over there?

Pootie-Poot: She ran out of Shillings?

(Bonus Points if you get that reference)

If... ? they had a heater that took shillings

Dihnekis: Damn thats crazy. I wasn't aware property owners had such a limited right to privacy in the UK.


This is no shiat. My mother just headed off to one home of hers because British Gas wants to look at the meter, or something tomorrow.

Apparently they've written to her twice over a period and there was no reply to them to arrange a time for their visits since she stays at another property most of the time and wasn't aware letters were being sent.

So, tomorrow, they wrote in the last letter - which did get intercepted since it was registered mail and had to be signed for - they will enter my mother's house REGARDLESS if anyone is in or not since they have ALREADY gotten some warrant/ public order to do so.

This is freakin nuts to me, and it's something I've never heard of and would not have even believed it possible - and from a farkin utility company too, and all they mentioned was wanting to have a look at the meter. Nothing to do with non-payment etc since, as I said, no one really lives in the house.

The power these guys have is scary. I'd hate to think if it was some pensioner being told that someone was going to enter their property regardless. Bastards.

Thats why if you live on acreage.Put your meters at the road for electricity and gas. Then a big old gate to keep them from going any further.
And Englands so backwards having the electric meter inside the house..Whats wrong with outside?

/Remembers Fark story on English guy who got busted for his Christmas tree pot plant last year by the electric company.

I don't see the big deal. We have repo men here who employ basically the same methods. They made a mistake, and compensated her for the trouble.

Seems to be one of those Monty-Pythonesque laws of the UK that get a lot of publicity here on Fark. This event happens so frequently that when it does it gets into one of the national papers...

Still a stupid law, so when a homeowner invokes his "Householder Protection Bill" rights who would want to be a utility company breaker and enterer.

see8563: Hat Madder: see8563 Don't they just turn your power off when you don't pay your bill? Or is that just here in the US?

Even here in the US they can't turn off the power in the winter in most cold areas. Don't you know that people have a right to things they don't pay for?


Oh yea! I forgot about the Articles of Entitlement in the Constitution.

Well, there is the Due Process Clause. And I'm not %100 sure, but I think that the no-turning-off-the-power thing is primarily a statutory policy, not a Constitutional right.

mark12A: It's Britain. No such thing as privacy or property rights.

fail.

In Britain, it's perfectly legal for the police to break into your home when you're not there, search, examine, even plant listening devices, and then leave and NOT inform you of the search. Unlike the states, where all search warrents must be presented to the searched. Its been that way in Britain for years, since the height of the "Irish troubles"

/sorry
//each time I visit Britain, it becomes more like an adventure holiday to the old USSR.

Phil Moskowitz: Britain has such sensible people and BUGshiat CRAZY law. What the christ is going on over there?

Our guvment has been taken over by John Cleese and Eric Idle I suspect.

wyltoknow: We have repo men here who employ basically the same methods.

Retrieving a car from a public street (or even a driveway or parking lot) is very different from forcibly entering someone's HOME. But you knew that already, right?

steevmit: This event happens so frequently...

Here, you dropped this:

in-

You're welcome! :)

zenobia: Anyone else think E.ON is the perfect name for an electric company?

Probably. I bet someone was paid a lot to come up with it, because E.ON isn't short on cash.

It is one of those very few gigantic corporations formed from old national utilities that are now dividing up the EU zone between each other.

Basically, they freak me out.

eqtworld: /not a big deal

way to go
Long well written statement here....

eqtworld - you suck
Boston Tea Party, Declaration of independence, Magna Carta, etc.. were written to protect US from YOU

Bend over biatch !! so we don't have to

mark12A: mark12A: It's Britain. No such thing as privacy or property rights.

fail.

In Britain, it's perfectly legal for the police to break into your home when you're not there, search, examine, even plant listening devices, and then leave and NOT inform you of the search. Unlike the states, where all search warrents must be presented to the searched. Its been that way in Britain for years, since the height of the "Irish troubles"

/sorry
//each time I visit Britain, it becomes more like an adventure holiday to the old USSR.

Actually thanks to the patriot act the US can do this also.

wyltoknow: I don't see the big deal. We have repo men here who employ basically the same methods. They made a mistake, and compensated her for the trouble.

I find it slightly alarming that these warrants are obtainable by private parties, and that they apparently aren't required to issue notice before entering.

Mongo cut wood: Takes notes. Have the Utility companies conduct warrant less searches.

Not to worry the Bush administration is already on it.

LocalCynic: Dihnekis: Damn thats crazy. I wasn't aware property owners had such a limited right to privacy in the UK.

Apparently you aren't from America, where some people believe that the "right" to carry a firearm trumps a property owner's right to keep guns off their property. In America, guns are people too, and guns have more rights than most people.


Come now. The school one was a big stretch. This is just faggocity.

/No offense to teh ghey.

mark12A: In Britain, it's perfectly legal for the police to break into your home when you're not there, search, examine, even plant listening devices, and then leave and NOT inform you of the search.

So a suspected felon in the States must be informed his phone may be bugged? As for no privacy or property laws, you do fail.

Apparently her name was Buttle.

eqtworld: well, there are, but I think technically the Queen owns everything...

In Canada the Queen owns everything when the Liberals are in power. But I think there is some written proof that private property is allowed in England.