Frank G Whitworth: Evictions, CRAR and Writs

Who is actually behind the name

Frank G Whitworth is the trading name of Enforcement Bailiffs Ltd, registered at Companies House under company number 07090537, incorporated on 30 November 2009. Its registered office is 384 Linthorpe Road, Middlesbrough, TS5 6HA. The company traded under a different business entirely at first, as Black Banks Kennels and Training Ltd, until it was renamed in April 2013.

The same Middlesbrough address is also the registered office of National Enforcement Group Limited (company number 12721507, incorporated July 2020), Quality Bailiffs Limited (company number 11293386) and Derby Legal Services Ltd (company number 07478236). A letter from any of those three names, or from Frank G Whitworth itself, comes out of the same group. Checked against Companies House, the officer histories of all four companies move together almost date for date: two Whitworths were appointed directors of all four in 2020 and resigned from all four on 20 February 2024, and a further reshuffle on 29 August 2025 removed Susan Coates and Andrew Gillott from all four while adding Gary Tomkinson to all four. The one thing that does not move in step: Andrew John Coates, a director of Enforcement Bailiffs Ltd since its 2009 incorporation, stayed on as a director there after 29 August 2025, while resigning the same day from the other three companies. He and Gary Tomkinson are its current directors.

That leaves a gap worth naming plainly rather than glossing over. Frank Julian Whitworth and Myles Frank Robert Whitworth have not been directors of Enforcement Bailiffs Ltd, or of any of the three related companies, since February 2024. Checked separately, the High Court Enforcement Officers Association's own member directory still lists "Frank G Whitworth" with Frank Whitworth as the named contact. Both facts are current as checked; this page does not guess at why they sit together, since a certificated HCEO's personal authorisation does not depend on also holding a directorship of the firm.

What kind of caller this is

For a writ of control, "enforcement agent" is the accurate term, not debt collector. An ordinary debt collector cannot enter your home or take goods without first suing you and winning; Frank G Whitworth's writ work only starts once that stage is already over, under Schedule 12 of the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007. Its eviction and commercial rent work each run under separate rules described below.

The kinds of case this firm takes on

Which court, and the £600 to £5,000 gap

Under article 8 of the High Court and County Courts Jurisdiction Order 1991, a judgment under £600 stays in the County Court, one of £5,000 or more must go to the High Court, and one between the two can go either way, except that a judgment on a regulated Consumer Credit Act agreement always stays in the County Court regardless of size.

What a High Court case costs

Writ of control fees sit on their own scale, separate from council tax and parking enforcement.

This scale applies to instructions taken on from 1 May 2026. Under regulation 11 of the Taking Control of Goods (Fees) Regulations 2014, a separate £79 compliance fee can apply to each enforcement power, but the first enforcement stage and sale fees can usually only be charged once where the debts are reasonably dealt with together. CRAR and forfeiture cases sit outside this table entirely.

Force entry, on a home and on a business

For a writ of control against a home, entry has to be peaceable: through a door you choose to open, or one already unlocked, and there is no obligation to answer. Paragraph 18A of Schedule 12 is different for business premises carrying on a trade: it allows reasonable force where the debtor runs a trade or business there, the debt is not a traffic contravention, and the writ or warrant already exists. Paragraph 19A allows forced re-entry once a signed controlled goods agreement has been broken. Outside those routes, force is not available.

Evictions and writs of possession

A residential, commercial or traveller eviction runs under a writ or warrant of possession, not the goods-taking rules above. A notice of eviction must usually reach the property at least 14 days before the writ is executed, or 7 days before a further attempt, under Civil Procedure Rules rule 83.8A. A former tenant is not treated as a trespasser under Part 55, whatever the reason the tenancy ended, which changes which procedure applies to them.

What cannot be taken, and vehicles

Only goods actually belonging to the debtor can be taken. Regulation 4 of the Taking Control of Goods Regulations 2013 protects everyday clothing and bedding, equipment needed to run the household, items for medical or child care, pets, assistance dogs, and a vehicle displaying a valid disabled badge, along with work tools up to £1,350 combined. A Motability car is leased rather than owned, and one still on hire purchase may legally belong to the finance company rather than the debtor.

Paying, or disputing what is owed

A controlled goods agreement lets listed items stay with you while agreed payments continue, but check every item is genuinely yours and the figures are correct before signing anything, since breaking the agreement is what opens the door to forced re-entry. Dispute the underlying judgment, rent account or lease with the creditor, landlord or court rather than with the enforcement firm, since it has no authority to rewrite any of those.

Vulnerability and a difficult situation

Tell whoever instructed the case, in writing, as early as possible. There is no fixed list of what counts: illness, disability, bereavement, age, language barriers, recent trauma and a household in crisis have all been treated as relevant, often several together. None of this cancels a debt that is genuinely owed, but it can change how and when enforcement happens.

Spotting a genuine Frank G Whitworth letter

Confirm the case independently, through the issuing court's own reference system or the creditor who instructed enforcement, rather than a number that appears only on the letter itself. Because the same Middlesbrough group also trades as Quality Bailiffs and Derby Legal Services, a letter under any of those names, or Frank G Whitworth, is worth checking against the same group facts set out above if anything about it seems inconsistent.

Where a complaint about this firm goes

Start with the firm's own complaints procedure, citing the case reference and the specific rule or fact in dispute. Checked against both the Enforcement Conduct Board's accredited firms register and CIVEA's published member list, Enforcement Bailiffs Ltd and its trading name Frank G Whitworth do not appear on either, so neither of those complaint routes is available here. The HCEOA directory lists the firm, so a complaint about the named High Court Enforcement Officer's own conduct can go there once the firm's process is exhausted. A breach of the Schedule 12 rules, or action under a defective writ, is separately a matter the debtor can raise with the court itself under paragraph 66 of Schedule 12, which can order goods returned or damages paid.

A short checklist before you respond

1. Identify whether the paperwork is a writ of control, CRAR, forfeiture, or a possession order, since each follows different rules entirely.
2. Check the fee stage reached against the table above.
3. Query a wrong underlying judgment or rent figure with the creditor, landlord or court, not the enforcement firm.
4. If it is correct but unaffordable, put together real figures and make an offer early.
5. Put any vulnerability in writing now, to whoever instructed the case.
6. Protect a vehicle that genuinely is not the debtor's to lose.