The car boot sale

Or a great British institution gone wrong.

Just down the road from me during the summer, there is a car boot sale every Sunday. To maximise the days they are open, the farmer makes sure that he opens on Bank Holiday Monday as this does not count in his normal 14 days allowed. Today was one of those days…

I have absolutely nothing against people wanting to get rid of their household rubbish and trying to make a few pennies out of them. However it seems to me that the car boot sale down the road from us is more of a market. There are far too many trailers and large lorries with proper market stalls than people selling from the back of their cars. Various catering vans are also present.

The last time I went there, I noticed various people selling very recent movie releases on DVD and video games for a lot less than you would find them in a shop. There was even software on sale… I am surprised that nobody from the local trading standard office was present. Or even more to the point Customs and Excise as cigarettes were being sold there in full view. My guess is that those cigarettes were not totally legal… But nobody seemed to bother about this.

I also wonder how many of those Sunday traders actually claim benefit during the week. That would be an interesting study. Probably more interesting than the recent study that came out with the fact that fake designer goods do not hurt designers. I beg to disagree on this one as the fake industry in UK is apparently worth some £1.3 billion per year!

Anyway my gripe with the car boot sale is not the goods that are sold there as I can blissfully not go there so not even look at the rubbish on offer. My gripe is the traffic chaos created by the event. This morning the traffic line started in Taplow near the TVAP and went all the way to Castle Hill i.e. 2 miles on the A4. As access is difficult many people seem to abandon their cars on pavements near the event. If any shop or shopping centre was creating such chaos, they would be closed, would have to pay for new access or parking facilities but it seems that the gentleman farmer is getting away with it. How fair is this?