Rossendales: what a letter means and what to do

If you have a letter, a bank reference or an old court paper that mentions Rossendales, the debt has not gone away with the name. The business is now part of Marston, so this page explains the link and then the rules that apply to you. Our guide to Marston covers Marston itself in more detail. This guide covers England and Wales.

Who are Rossendales?

Rossendales is registered at Companies House as ROSSENDALES LIMITED, company number 01501584. It is an active private limited company, incorporated on 12 June 1980, with its registered office in London. It was called Glovebarn Limited briefly in 1980, then Rossendale Holdings Limited until 1994 and Rossendale CB Limited until 2003. Companies House lists Marston (Holdings) Limited, company number 04305487, as owning 75% or more of the shares.

How did Rossendales become part of Marston?

• 2013: Marston bought Rossendales, which was reported at the time as continuing to operate as a distinct brand.
• 2019: the Legal Aid Agency told people that its Crown Court collections and enforcement agent was “now known as Marston Holdings instead of Rossendales”, as part of Marston’s corporate branding. The FCA register shows Rossendales Limited, which had traded as Rossendales Collect, stopped being FCA authorised on 31 January 2019.
• Today: the Rossendales website address now shows Marston Holdings’ website. A separate company, Rossendales Collect Limited, was dissolved on 11 February 2025.

So the practical answer is simple: Rossendales is a Marston brand from the past, and Marston now does the work. If you are looking for the firm called UK Bailiffs, which is registered in Rossendale, Lancashire, that is a different, unrelated business: see UK Bailiffs.

Is Rossendales regulated?

The Enforcement Conduct Board (ECB) register does not list Rossendales separately. It lists Marston Holdings Limited, accredited since October 2023. CIVEA, the Civil Enforcement Association, lists Marston Holdings Limited as a member. The ECB is independent but voluntary, and CIVEA is a trade association: there is no statutory regulator for bailiffs yet.

Why might you see the Rossendales name?

Usually because the debt was first passed on, or the paperwork was printed, when the Rossendales name was still in use, or because you are searching for a firm you remember from a past visit. The work itself is now carried out by Marston, which lists magistrates’ court fines, parking and traffic penalties, council tax liability orders and High Court writs among the debts it enforces. Marston’s FAQs also have a separate contact route for legal aid money.

• Council tax and business rates: the council must first get a liability order from the magistrates’ court. See what council tax bailiffs can do.
• Parking and traffic penalties: after an order for recovery, you have 21 days to pay or challenge it; if you do neither, bailiffs can be sent under a warrant of control.
• Legal aid: the Legal Aid Agency’s Crown Court collections and enforcement agent was Rossendales, and is now Marston.
• High Court writs: a County Court Judgment can be transferred to the High Court for enforcement. Marston’s High Court work is done through Engage. See High Court enforcement officers.

Is the debt still yours, and is it right?

A new name on the notepaper does not cancel a debt, a liability order or a court judgment. But old debts can be wrong, already paid or out of date, so check before you pay:

• Contact the original creditor, such as the council, the magistrates’ court or the Legal Aid Agency, using the details on its official website. Ask whether the debt is still open, how much is owed and who is now collecting it.
• If you have receipts showing you paid Rossendales, keep copies and send them to the creditor and to Marston.
• For a court judgment, a writ or warrant of control needs the court’s permission if the judgment is 6 years old or more.
• Only the creditor can cancel enforcement or confirm what the order covers.

What can Marston do, and what can they not do?

Marston’s agents follow the same law as every bailiff in England and Wales. Here is a summary; our guide to what bailiffs can and cannot do has the detail.

Notice

You must get a notice of enforcement at least 14 clear days before an agent can take control of your goods. If a debt adviser asks on your behalf before those days run out, this extends to at least 28 clear days. Cases that started before 1 May 2026 stay on the old 7-day notice period.

Fees

The fees are set by law and added to what you owe. They are the same whichever name is on the letter.

An old case keeps the old scale, because the 2026 regulations do not affect enforcement action taken before 1 May 2026. High Court writs have a separate, higher scale, shown on our Marston page. If you think fees from a Rossendales-era case have been charged twice or on the wrong scale, ask Marston for a written breakdown.

Entry, goods and your car

You usually do not have to open the door or let a bailiff in. They cannot come in by pushing past you, when only children under 16 or vulnerable people are present, between 9pm and 6am, or through anything except a door. They can only force entry to a home to collect criminal fines, Income Tax or Stamp Duty, and only as a last resort.

If you let them in, they can take control of goods you own that are not protected. Essentials such as clothes, beds, a cooker, a fridge and a washing machine are protected, as are work tools together worth less than £1,350 and anything belonging to someone else. They can take control of a car you own that is parked on the road, unless it is exempt, such as a vehicle displaying a valid Blue Badge and used to carry the badge holder.

Identification and vulnerability

Marston says its agents carry company identification and wear body-worn cameras, and that a visit by someone without either should be reported. Tell Marston and the creditor about illness, disability, mental health problems, a bereavement or anything else that makes things harder, with evidence if you have it.

What should you do at each stage?

When a notice arrives

Note the date and work out when the notice period ends (Sundays, bank holidays, Good Friday and Christmas Day do not count). Paying in full before a visit avoids the enforcement fee. If you cannot, offer an amount you can keep up, to Marston and to the creditor. A debt adviser can ask for the longer 28-day notice period.

If an agent visits

Ask for identification and check the agent on the certificated enforcement agent register. If you sign a controlled goods agreement, you keep your goods while you pay, but you agree not to sell them, and breaking it lets the agent come back after at least 2 clear days of written notice. Only agree to payments you can keep up.

If goods or your car are about to be removed

Contact Marston and the creditor straight away, and get debt advice the same day if you can. The sale stage adds another fee. Always get a receipt.

Is this letter or visit genuine?

• A new letter in 2026 is likely to say Marston, not Rossendales. If you receive something new in the Rossendales name, check it with the creditor before you pay.
• Use the contact details on your own paperwork, or on the creditor’s official website. This page deliberately does not list any firm’s contact details.
• Do not rely on a phone number from a search result, or one given in an unexpected text, email or call.
• Be wary of anyone pushing you to pay at once into an account you do not recognise.

How do debt solutions affect Marston?

Council tax arrears and court fines are priority debts, because the consequences of not paying are serious, so they usually need dealing with first.

• Breathing Space pauses enforcement on included debts for up to 60 days. Council tax is only covered once arrears have built up, and court fines are not covered at all.
• A debt management plan is informal, so creditors can still take action.
• An IVA is a legally binding agreement under the Insolvency Act 1986. Creditors bound by it cannot take further action to recover the debts included in it; secured debts, and debts that cannot be included, are outside it. See whether an IVA stops debt collectors and bailiffs.
• During a debt relief order, a creditor owed a listed debt has no remedy for it without the court’s permission. Court fines cannot be included. DROs are free, for people with debts under £50,000, less than £75 a month spare, assets under £2,000 and a vehicle worth less than £4,000.
• After a bankruptcy order, creditors owed debts in the bankruptcy have no remedy against your property or you personally for those debts, but criminal fines are not released when the bankruptcy ends. Bankruptcy costs £680 to apply for.

The debt solutions comparison sets them side by side.

How do you complain?

1. Complain to Marston, which now handles Rossendales cases. Its procedure aims to resolve complaints informally within 5 working days, then through a formal investigation aiming to reply within 25 working days.
2. Complain to the creditor as well. If you are unhappy with a council’s response, you can go to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, or in Wales the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales.
3. Because Marston is accredited by the Enforcement Conduct Board, the ECB can review a complaint about something that happened on or after 1 January 2025, once you have been through Marston’s process. Complain within 3 months of becoming aware of the problem, or within 1 month of the firm’s final response. Older events go through the firm, the creditor or the court.
4. For High Court enforcement, you can also complain to the High Court Enforcement Officers Association. For serious misconduct by a certificated enforcement agent, you can complain to the court on form EAC2.

What to do next

1. Find the creditor’s name and reference on your paperwork, and ask the creditor whether the debt is still open and who is collecting it.
2. If the debt is yours, contact Marston before any notice period ends with an offer you can afford. Keep copies of everything, including any old Rossendales receipts.
3. Get free, impartial debt advice from MoneyHelper, StepChange, Citizens Advice or National Debtline. See where to get free debt advice.
4. For your wider rights with bailiffs and collectors, see dealing with debt collectors.