stevenuk300

A while back while I was selling my 306 XSI, My car had been done for parking on the public highway with having no Tax. I was on holiday, and the car was stored round my fathers house. My father had moved the car onto the grass verge outside the front of his house and not on the road, as he had to move other cars around. The car was clamped, and 24 hrs later, a truck arrived to have it towed away and scrapped. There was an £80 release fee and £120 fee for the tax. Yesterday, I had a letter for a court summons. I have to appear in court on 11th Aug 03, where an additional £45 fee for court costs and at least £220 for unpaid tax for the period I had declared SORN. The cost is also dependant on my income and expenses and therefore can be alot higher.
I feel really hard done that people get away with a lot worse. If a car is dumped, it will sit on the roads for months before being towed away. Mine has a for sale sign on the window, and is therefore a reliable source of getting a bit of extra cash generated, knowing the car is owned.
Has anyone else had any dealings like this, or have any tips for me to use.

Cheers
Steven

stevenuk300

Any comments, good or bad?

Luke

Take your toothbrush and some Ky jelly

saucy-scooby

Make sure that you take your father to court with you. His side of things could be useful.

Unfortunately due to the extra costs that scrappers have, thanx to Europe, in respect to the buying in and scrapping of unwanted vehicles many cars are now left on roadsides. Scrappers are not allowed to buy in cars that have their tyres on unless the scrapper has appropriate means of disposal, also engine fluids have to be disposed of...all costs money so many scrappers are closing their doors now, hence the verges being littered wth dumped cars in varying stages of disrepair.

It looks like yours met a similar fate, which on the face of it is rough, I agree. But the local council are just probably really ticked off with abandoned cars littering their patch. People often place ads in the windows trying, allegedly, to sell a car and sometimes they can be ploys to get a car parked in a specific area.

I would go to court, take father with you and argue your case. You should be able to clear up the mess and maybe earn a bit of an apology too.

-=Buzz=-

Send your father the bill! Sounds like he's contributed to at least 75% of your costs with his actions.

Doesn't he know that "on the verge" isn't private land and as such you can't leave a vehicle there, taxed or not ? "it is an offence to park a vehicle off the higway even where there is room to do so" or something like that..It covers parking on paths, on verges etc. which you can be fined for.

Even if he didn't know "ignorance is no defence in the eyes of the law" .

Sorry, not very helpful am I

[Edited by -=Buzz=- - 7/29/2003 8:18:49 AM]

Andy Porter

Funny how they take a car real quick that obviously hasn't been dumped, they knew you would have to cough up, w4nkers [img]images/smilies/mad.gif[/img]

stevenuk300

I'm hoping it won't go as far as bringing the KY Jelly, but I'm going to play on how dumped cars take months to be removed, where as it was obvious from the condition of my car it wasn't dumped, but within 24hrs would be scrapped. Where is the notice????

If I was using the car, then I could except it. Ok we can argue that the car was declared SORN and was parked on the verge for a short period, but it's not like it is causing other traffic any difficulties. It's cost me £200 so far which I thought £120 was for the period of tax, but they now want to charge me again and increase the cost depending on my salary etc.
Does anyone know how far they will dig??? Will they look at previous bank statements,get in contact with my employer, and make inquiries into my mortgage???