Make a payment to your case today

Bristow & Sutor collect a range of different debts on behalf of our clients, including Council Tax, Non-Domestic Rates, Penalty Charge Notices, and County Court Judgments under a High Court Writ of Control. You can find out what your debt relates to by reading the Notice of Enforcement.

You can find our payment options here.

We understand that some people may not be in a position to make the payment straight away. With this in mind we have a team of trained advisors that are able to discuss your payment options with you, including payment by installments. If you wish to arrange a payment plan, please Contact Us.

If your debt relates to Council Tax or Non-Domestic Rates, you should contact the relevant Local Authority if you do not think you owe any money.

If your debt relates to Penalty Charge Notices then please contact us to discuss your dispute.

In the case of a High Court writ of control, please contact the court directly.

Please note that in all cases, we will only stop enforcement action if instructed to do so by our client or the court.

No. If you make a payment to the creditor, you will still owe the fees due on the debt, and we will continue to take recovery action.

There are two names on the letter because you are Joint and Severally Liable for the debt. This means that both of you are liable for the full balance of the debt, not that it is split between you. We can continue enforcement action against you until the full amount of the debt has been paid.

Please contact us to discuss your options for a payment plan. If you pay part of the debt without discussing it with us, we will continue recovery action until the full balance has been cleared.

Yes, if your debt relates to Council Tax. This procedure is called an Attachment of Earnings, and some councils may ask us to organise this on their behalf.

The action taken by Bristow & Sutor will not impact your credit rating. However, if you do not resolve your debt, the actions our creditors choose to take could have an impact on your credit score.

We add fees to your debt in line with the Taking Control of Goods (Fees) Regulations 2014. The fees differ between Civil Enforcement and High Court Enforcement cases. The correct fees are detailed on the Notice of Enforcement.

We have been given your information by our client because you have an outstanding balance with them. When we are instructed to recover a debt, we will write to the address provided by our client. If we don’t receive a response, we will use a tracing company to find your most up-to-date address and/or alternative contact details.

In parking cases, the creditor has most likely requested and been supplied with your personal data from the DVLA. You can read more about how and why the DVLA can lawfully share your personal data from this link <LINK>. They may also have received your personal data from the registered keeper of the vehicle, either by naming the driver on the date of the parking contravention or appealing the parking charge. A vehicle hire or lease company may also provide the details of the person who was driving the vehicle at the time of the contravention.

We don’t rely upon or require your consent to process your data for the purposes of recovering a debt or unpaid parking charge. The lawful basis for processing within the GDPR Regulations is our (and our clients') legitimate interest to process your personal data in order to pursue resolution of your case.

You can read our Data Privacy Notice here. 

We recommend you contact a professional debt advice provider, and we've provided some suggestions below. Please note you should never need to pay for debt advice, there are lots of free services available, including the ones listed here:

For in-person advice:
Find your local Citizens' Advice branch

For telephone advice:
Call National Debtline on 0808 808 4000

For online advice:
Visit StepChange

If you need to talk to someone, call Samaritans on 116 123
If you prefer not to talk, text "Shout" to 85258

We know dealing with debt can be difficult. We would like to talk to you to understand your circumstances so that we can support you to resolve your debt.

Bristow & Sutor are not formally regulated. However, our activities are overseen by the Enforcement Conduct Board (ECB), the independent oversight body for the debt enforcement sector in England and Wales. You can find out more about the ECB and their work on the ECB website. Additionally, we are members of the Civil Enforcement Association (CIVEA) and the British Parking Association (BPA) which are the trade body organisations for our industry.

The recovery process has three main stages:

Stage One: Compliance
At the Compliance stage, we will send you a letter outlining what you owe, who the creditor is, and how you can repay the debt. We will also try to contact you by text and email, where we have this information for you.

Stage Two: Enforcement
At the Enforcement stage, an Enforcement Agent will attend the address we have on file for you. They may take control of your household goods by completing a Controlled Goods Agreement, or your vehicle if you have one by applying a clamp.

Stage Three: Removal
If we are unable to resolve your case via one of the previous stages, an Enforcement Agent may attend your property to remove the goods previously identified.

These stages are outlined in the Taking Control of Goods Regulations, as are the fees we charge and when we charge them.

Please let us know that you have received a letter to your address by completing the contact form, and informing us you are not the named person or business, so that we can update our records. Please note, we may request proof of identity to ensure we have the correct information.

Enforcement Agents will not remove goods without first Taking Control of Goods in line with the regulations. Goods which can be removed include any goods which you own or have a beneficial interest. There are some goods that Enforcement Agents can never remove, including the items you need to maintain a basic standard of living (such as beds, fridges, ovens, clothes). For more information about the powers Enforcement Agents have, you can visit the CIVEA website.

Yes. The Enforcement Agent is required to make an inventory of goods, but we don't need you to sign it for it to be valid.

Enforcement Agents will usually knock on the door so they can discuss your debt with you. However, they aren't legally required to do so.

Enforcement Agents have a responsibility to resolve debts on behalf of our clients. If you intentionally try to stop an Enforcement Agent from doing their job, you could be breaking the law. If you are found guilty of an offense, you may have to pay a fine, spend time in prison, or both.

You can stop enforcement action by clearing your balance, either by paying in full or by agreeing and completing an installment plan.

Enforcement Agents are empowered by the courts to take action, including entering a customer's property and removing goods in line with the regulations. Police will not intervene to stop an enforcement agent from doing their job.

No. From the moment you are sent a Notice of Enforcement from our office your goods are “bound” by law. This means you can't sell them or dispose of them.

Enforcement Agents will leave different forms when they carry out certain actions. When we visit your property, we will leave a letter or a form which tells you about the actions we've taken and how to contact us, unless we cannot find somewhere safe to leave private correspondence. In this case, we will write to you to let you know we attended your property, but were unable to leave the usual documentation.

An enforcement agent cannot force entry to your home on the first visit. We can gain peaceful entry to take payment or complete a controlled goods agreement. If you do not pay, or if you stop paying your payment plan, an enforcement agent can force entry to inspect or remove goods that are subject to a controlled goods agreement. Under a High Court Writ of Control, an enforcement agent may also force entry to a commercial, trading address.

Goods will usually be sold by public auction. We will use the proceeds of the sale to clear your balance, and any remaining money will be paid to you.

Creditors can choose to take different actions depending on the type of debt and circumstances. They may:
- Send your case to another enforcement business or debt resolution company.
- Implement an Attachment of Earnings, or Deduction from Benefits.
- Take legal action, including starting insolvency proceedings against you.
- Request a Charging Order to be placed on your property.
- Follow the Committal process, which can result in a warrant for your arrest and potentially time in prison.

We’re continually striving to improve our service, and we welcome your feedback. You can make a complaint or provide feedback via any of the communication channels listed on the Contact Us page, or email us. You can read our full Complaints policy here.

You can make a SAR via any of the communication channels listed on the Contact Page.

To process your request, we have to be confident that we are communicating with the correct person, so we may ask you to provide proof of identity.

You will not be asked to pay a fee for making a subject access request. 

To make a request on behalf of another person, you will need to provide the data subject's consent in writing and two forms of identification.

We will let you know if you need to provide proof of identity. Normally we will request one photographic proof, for example a copy of your passport or driving licence, plus one proof of address, for example a copy of a bank statement, utility bill or TV licence. You do not need to have copies certified as true copies.

Once we receive your SAR (and any proof of identity we request) we will gather your data and send it to you within one month. We will also let you know if we are unable to find any information about you in our records. If we can't provide a response within one month, we will contact you to explain why and tell you when you can expect a response. We will usually send your SAR response via email, unless you request a response via post. We can only send responses directly to the person who requested the information.

You can find more information about your data rights and making a subject access request by visiting the Information Commissioner's Office website.