Abandoned Royal Mail Cvcle.

[g.harman]

A commercial premises I call on occasionally has had a Royal Mail
Pashley cycle leant up against a wall within its yard for approx 3 to
4 months now.
The manager of the place has notified them a couple of times about it
and also mentions it to his Postman/Woman.
Nobody has taken any notice and the thing is now looking quite sad
with a rusty chain and a disintegrating saddle.
Next week it goes in the skip.
According to the chap this is the 2nd one to have been abandoned there
so maybe a local postie has need for some transport home and then
dumps them.
Said manager said I could take it away. I was tempted as it would be
useful for nipping up the shop with its plastic carrier.The fact that
it appears to have no street cred to the extent that nobody has
already ridden it off would save worrying about theft.
The yard while private is publicly accessible.
However these things are a bit distinctive and I have no wish to get a
criminal record by being found on Royal Mails bike even if they do not
seem to want it.
Seems a waste though,and a lot of stamps to pay for one.
G.Harman

 

[Call me Bob]

On Tue, 11 Oct 2005 22:47:25 GMT, [email protected] (g.harman)
wrote:

>However these things are a bit distinctive and I have no wish to get a
>criminal record by being found on Royal Mails bike even if they do not
>seem to want it.
> Seems a waste though,and a lot of stamps to pay for one.

They've been notified several times that it's there and abandoned,
they've been asked to collect it and not bothered. In taking it on
you're simply saving it from the skip, not stealing it. If they ever
make the effort to come get it the yard manager can point them in your
direction. You can then invoice them for collection and storage
charges and, once they've settled up, cheerfully return it.

Granted I'm not a lawyer, but it's highly unlikely you'd end up with
any kind of conviction for what you are considering.

Then again, you'll be an easier target than an actual burglar, or car
thief, and so if things ever got complicated the police may well look
on you as a soft target for their statistics. Which is of course what
they are most concerned about.

"Bob"
--

Email address is spam trapped, to reply directly remove the beverage.

 

[m-gineering]

"g.harman" wrote:
>
> A commercial premises I call on occasionally has had a Royal Mail
> Pashley cycle leant up against a wall within its yard for approx 3 to
> 4 months now.
> The manager of the place has notified them a couple of times about it
> and also mentions it to his Postman/Woman.
> Nobody has taken any notice and the thing is now looking quite sad
> with a rusty chain and a disintegrating saddle.
> Next week it goes in the skip.
> According to the chap this is the 2nd one to have been abandoned there
> so maybe a local postie has need for some transport home and then
> dumps them.
> Said manager said I could take it away. I was tempted as it would be
> useful for nipping up the shop with its plastic carrier.The fact that
> it appears to have no street cred to the extent that nobody has
> already ridden it off would save worrying about theft.
> The yard while private is publicly accessible.
> However these things are a bit distinctive and I have no wish to get a
> criminal record by being found on Royal Mails bike even if they do not
> seem to want it.
> Seems a waste though,and a lot of stamps to pay for one.
> G.Harman

Over here i'd report it to the police as a found object. Police will be
happy not to have to store it, and if the mail hasn't collected it after
a year it's yours
--
---
Marten Gerritsen

INFOapestaartjeM-GINEERINGpuntNL
www.m-gineering.nl

 

[Ben Blaukopf]

g.harman wrote:
> A commercial premises I call on occasionally has had a Royal Mail
> Pashley cycle leant up against a wall within its yard for approx 3 to
> 4 months now.
> The manager of the place has notified them a couple of times about it
> and also mentions it to his Postman/Woman.
> Nobody has taken any notice and the thing is now looking quite sad
> with a rusty chain and a disintegrating saddle.
> Next week it goes in the skip.
> According to the chap this is the 2nd one to have been abandoned there
> so maybe a local postie has need for some transport home and then
> dumps them.
> Said manager said I could take it away. I was tempted as it would be
> useful for nipping up the shop with its plastic carrier.The fact that
> it appears to have no street cred to the extent that nobody has
> already ridden it off would save worrying about theft.
> The yard while private is publicly accessible.
> However these things are a bit distinctive and I have no wish to get a
> criminal record by being found on Royal Mails bike even if they do not
> seem to want it.

Umpteen years ago someone abandoned a bike on my parents wall. They took
it to the police station and were told that if it wasn't claimed in a
month, then they had the right to claim it. So you could try that approach.

Ben

 

[elyob]

"Call me Bob" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news[email protected]...
> On Tue, 11 Oct 2005 22:47:25 GMT, [email protected] (g.harman)
> wrote:
>
>>However these things are a bit distinctive and I have no wish to get a
>>criminal record by being found on Royal Mails bike even if they do not
>>seem to want it.
>> Seems a waste though,and a lot of stamps to pay for one.
>
> They've been notified several times that it's there and abandoned,
> they've been asked to collect it and not bothered. In taking it on
> you're simply saving it from the skip, not stealing it. If they ever
> make the effort to come get it the yard manager can point them in your
> direction. You can then invoice them for collection and storage
> charges and, once they've settled up, cheerfully return it.
>

The OP mentions "a lot of stamps" and is therefore concerned about the
wastage levels of the PO. You suggest him charge them for storing it etc,
when it's been perfectly happy resting against a wall for 4 months.

 

[Sandy Morton]

In article <[email protected]>, m-gineering
<[email protected]> wrote:
> Police will be happy not to have to store it, and if the mail
> hasn't collected it after a year it's yours

In Millport found bikes are stored outside the police station door in
the hope that somebody will help themselves!

--
A T (Sandy) Morton
on the Bicycle Island
In the Global Village
http://www.millport.net

 

[sothach]

Rob it, get it sandblasted and powder coated, it'd be a brilliant
transport hack, and when crude goes over $100 per barrel, you'd have
the start of a lucrative transport business...

 

[Call me Bob]

On Wed, 12 Oct 2005 09:27:57 +0100, "elyob" <[email protected]>
wrote:

>> They've been notified several times that it's there and abandoned,
>> they've been asked to collect it and not bothered. In taking it on
>> you're simply saving it from the skip, not stealing it. If they ever
>> make the effort to come get it the yard manager can point them in your
>> direction. You can then invoice them for collection and storage
>> charges and, once they've settled up, cheerfully return it.
>>
>
>The OP mentions "a lot of stamps" and is therefore concerned about the
>wastage levels of the PO. You suggest him charge them for storing it etc,
>when it's been perfectly happy resting against a wall for 4 months.

I wasn't terribly serious about raising an invoice you know. Merely
making a point that if, at some point in the future, the RM were to
get all huffy about OP taking the bike on then it can be argued they
brought it on themselves. That if he hadn't acted to collect and
safely store it the bike would, because of their apathy, have gone in
a skip. That action wouldn't have been without a little effort and
worry on his part and so any tantrums or indignation from the RM would
have a counter.

The OP was concerned about any trouble with police should he give this
abandoned bike a home, but it seems to me that the real crime would be
to allow a perfectly functional bike go in a skip and possibly to
landfill when it could instead be doing shopping duty.

"Bob"
--

Email address is spam trapped, to reply directly remove the beverage.

 

[Colin Blackburn]

m-gineering wrote:

> Over here i'd report it to the police as a found object. Police will be
> happy not to have to store it, and if the mail hasn't collected it after
> a year it's yours

In Co Durham it's less than a month before "it's yours" [1]. I now have
a Peugeot racing bike frame hanging in the workshop thanks to the police.

Colin
1. Though as mentioned previously the actual ownership is still contentious.

 

[Geraint Jones]

Sandy Morton <[email protected]> wrote:
| In Millport found bikes are stored outside the police station door in
| the hope that somebody will help themselves!

Why do you have a police station in Millport? Do you have police in it?

 

[Mark Thompson]

> Rob it, get it sandblasted and powder coated, it'd be a brilliant
> transport hack, and when crude goes over $100 per barrel, you'd have
> the start of a lucrative transport business...

Wot, by posting people to their destination?

 

[elyob]

"Call me Bob" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On Wed, 12 Oct 2005 09:27:57 +0100, "elyob" <[email protected]>
> wrote:
>
>>> They've been notified several times that it's there and abandoned,
>>> they've been asked to collect it and not bothered. In taking it on
>>> you're simply saving it from the skip, not stealing it. If they ever
>>> make the effort to come get it the yard manager can point them in your
>>> direction. You can then invoice them for collection and storage
>>> charges and, once they've settled up, cheerfully return it.
>>>
>>
>>The OP mentions "a lot of stamps" and is therefore concerned about the
>>wastage levels of the PO. You suggest him charge them for storing it etc,
>>when it's been perfectly happy resting against a wall for 4 months.
>
> I wasn't terribly serious about raising an invoice you know. Merely
> making a point that if, at some point in the future, the RM were to
> get all huffy about OP taking the bike on then it can be argued they
> brought it on themselves. That if he hadn't acted to collect and
> safely store it the bike would, because of their apathy, have gone in
> a skip. That action wouldn't have been without a little effort and
> worry on his part and so any tantrums or indignation from the RM would
> have a counter.
>
> The OP was concerned about any trouble with police should he give this
> abandoned bike a home, but it seems to me that the real crime would be
> to allow a perfectly functional bike go in a skip and possibly to
> landfill when it could instead be doing shopping duty.
>

If the OP is concerned, then would it be a huge effort to cycle it to the
sorting office and leaving it there for them?

 

[Call me Bob]

On Wed, 12 Oct 2005 12:08:02 +0100, "elyob" <[email protected]>
wrote:


>If the OP is concerned, then would it be a huge effort to cycle it to the
>sorting office and leaving it there for them?

Yes, I suppose he could do that. He could also pop round on his day
off and wash the sorting office windows for them eh?

"Bob"
--

Email address is spam trapped, to reply directly remove the beverage.

 

[sothach]

Where is this bike, exactly? Just curious....

 

[elyob]

"Call me Bob" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On Wed, 12 Oct 2005 12:08:02 +0100, "elyob" <[email protected]>
> wrote:
>
>
>>If the OP is concerned, then would it be a huge effort to cycle it to the
>>sorting office and leaving it there for them?
>
> Yes, I suppose he could do that. He could also pop round on his day
> off and wash the sorting office windows for them eh?

Nah, that's going well over the top. However a quick lube of the chain would
be appreciated.

 

[A.C.P. Crawshaw]

elyob wrote:

> The OP mentions "a lot of stamps" and is therefore concerned about the
> wastage levels of the PO. You suggest him charge them for storing it etc,
> when it's been perfectly happy resting against a wall for 4 months.

How can you be sure it's been happy? It may be feeling sad, lonely and neglected.

 

[dkahn400]

elyob wrote:
> "Call me Bob" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...

> > Yes, I suppose he could do that. He could also pop round on his
> > day off and wash the sorting office windows for them eh?
>
> Nah, that's going well over the top. However a quick lube of the
> chain would be appreciated.

But not by the Royal Mail, apparently.

--
Dave...

 

[Sandy Morton]

In article <[email protected]>, Geraint Jones
<[email protected]> wrote:
> Why do you have a police station in Millport? Do you have police
> in it

Occasionally

--
A T (Sandy) Morton
on the Bicycle Island
In the Global Village
http://www.millport.net

 

[Just zis Guy, you know?]

[email protected] (g.harman) sd / msg
<[email protected]> dtd Tue, 11 Oct 2005 22:47:25
GMT:

>A commercial premises I call on occasionally has had a Royal Mail
>Pashley cycle leant up against a wall within its yard for approx 3 to
>4 months now.

Ask the manager of the company to let RM know you have it, and get him
to sign a chit saying it was removed by you from his premises with his
permission following repeated requests to RM to remove it; keep that
in case Plod come calling. And then ride that Pashley with pride!

Guy
--
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

"To every complex problem there is a solution which is
simple, neat and wrong" - HL Mencken

 

[Sniper8052]

On Tue, 11 Oct 2005 23:04:39 GMT, Call me Bob wrote:

> On Tue, 11 Oct 2005 22:47:25 GMT, [email protected] (g.harman)
> wrote:
>
>>However these things are a bit distinctive and I have no wish to get a
>>criminal record by being found on Royal Mails bike even if they do not
>>seem to want it.
>> Seems a waste though,and a lot of stamps to pay for one.
>
> They've been notified several times that it's there and abandoned,
> they've been asked to collect it and not bothered. In taking it on
> you're simply saving it from the skip, not stealing it. If they ever
> make the effort to come get it the yard manager can point them in your
> direction. You can then invoice them for collection and storage
> charges and, once they've settled up, cheerfully return it.
>
> Granted I'm not a lawyer, but it's highly unlikely you'd end up with
> any kind of conviction for what you are considering.
>
> Then again, you'll be an easier target than an actual burglar, or car
> thief, and so if things ever got complicated the police may well look
> on you as a soft target for their statistics. Which is of course what
> they are most concerned about.
>
> "Bob"

The law states that you cannot steal something which has, or you reasonably
beleive has been, abandoned. If the yard is private property, IE not owned
or rented by the council to local businesses - in which case the cycle
would belong to them - then the *owner* not the tenent of the property has
the right to dispose of it as they see fit.
As said above whilst in the strictest sense of the theft act this would not
be theft and given that one might reasonably prove the cycle had not been
stolen by getting copies of the letters sent to the post office concerning
the cycle and a letter authorising you to take the cycle away there are
still any number of eager young fools out there who might not know the
theft act as properly as they should who may arrest you whilst you prove
your innocence.
However if you take it and then let local plod - property officer - know
you have it by letter, keeping a sealed and franked copy for yourself, and
giving local plod your contact details as said by others if the GPO fail to
get in touch with you to reclaim the cycle it's yours after, I think, 6
months. NB I am reasonably sure it's six months. You should be able to get
a receipt from the property officer to this effect.
Lot of faffing about though just to cover your trousers if you need to, are
you sure it's worth the effort?

Sniper8052