23 February 1963: The case of the electrified Land Rover

On this day in 1963, an unsuspecting bobby gets a shock when he stumbles upon an electrified Land Rover.

Most of us would probably do almost anything to avoid getting a parking ticket. But few would go as far as a Sussex farmer in 1963, who, in his own words, was waging a “private war” against an enemy that was new to the capital – traffic wardens.

With his lorries bulging with produce from his farm, 40-year-old Peter Hicks would regularly drive to Covent Garden to set up shop. But as anyone who has driven in central London knows, finding somewhere to park is tricky, especially when you have a fleet of lorries. So, he parked them illegally on Shorts Gardens, near Seven Dials.

Before long, the parking fines started to rack up – about £30 a week. That's around £630 in today's money. But Hicks didn't want to pay. 

He took a device that usually runs an electric current through the fences on his farm and attached it to his Land Rover. His car now had 2,000 volts running through it – enough to give anyone who placed a ticket on it a jolt. (Remember, it's not the voltage that's dangerous, but the level of amps – the flow of electric current. So, while 2,000 sounds like a lot, the amps were kept low.)

He then placed his Land Rover so it was bumper to bumper with his parked lorries. Now the whole convoy was electrified. And lo and behold, the parking tickets dried up. "I've watched quite a few wardens cop it, trying to put a ticket on my truck", he told the BBC. "They gave up in disgust and shock!"

Then one day, 23 February 1963, a passing police constable stopped to examine the strange ticking noise coming from the Land Rover. He “received a nasty shock”, as did his intrigued sergeant and a police inspector. Hicks was arrested for assault.

The prosecutors would later decide that they couldn't make the charges stick, and his electric fence device was returned. Hicks agreed that he'd made his point.

Recommended

What is the pension lifetime allowance?
Pensions

What is the pension lifetime allowance?

If you have been saving into your pension for some time now - or were paying attention during Jeremy Hunt’s inaugural Budget - you may have heard the …
20 Mar 2023
Rightmove: UK house prices up £3,000 as property market rebounds
House prices

Rightmove: UK house prices up £3,000 as property market rebounds

Rightmove’s latest house price index shows the property market has been resilient despite an economic downturn
20 Mar 2023
How to get a council tax reduction
Tax

How to get a council tax reduction

Council taxes will go up next month, but some people can get a discount. We explain who can get a council tax reduction
17 Mar 2023
How much tax will you pay from April 2023?
Tax

How much tax will you pay from April 2023?

The Chancellor announced a series of tax changes and allowance freezes in his Autumn and Spring budget. We break down what these mean for you ahead of…
17 Mar 2023

Most Popular

Government plans could see NS&I boost interest rates
Savings

Government plans could see NS&I boost interest rates

The government-backed bank has a new funding target, which could prompt it to boost the rates on its Premium Bonds, ISAs and bonds.
16 Mar 2023
Share tips of the week – 17 March
Investments

Share tips of the week – 17 March

MoneyWeek’s comprehensive guide to the best of this week’s share tips from the rest of the UK's financial pages
10 Mar 2023
How to make your child a tax-free millionaire by age 37
Investments

How to make your child a tax-free millionaire by age 37

Exclusive research for MoneyWeek reveals how funding an ISA and a pension for your child until age 18 could build up a seven-figure sum by the time th…
14 Mar 2023