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Abandoned cars
steve m - 16/2/21 at 02:45 PM

I have been reporting the same car to the police and local council since July of last year

"This car has been parked on the road for several months it is abandoned, has no tax mot or insurance
it is taking up a parking position that could be used by a lawful car
the car is filthy dirty, and has a tow hook sticking out of the front, that some one could walk into"

Any one else had any issues with reporting vehicles in this state ?

We and a Neighbour have been asking around the local area, but no ones admitting to owning the car
Infact is parked outside of another friends house in the neighbourhood but he didnt want to report it, incase anything came back to him !!

This car has been reported at least 6 times and i believe others have said they have as well

I did get back one email back with the referance number advising that the car wasnt abandoned ? so no Tax Mot or insurance, and parked on a housing estate road is perfectly legal then,

What would be our next steps ?


cliftyhanger - 16/2/21 at 02:57 PM

Cup of tea and a biscuit. Bugger all else you can do without the possibility of grief.

You need DVLA to come round and clamp it, they have just blitzed our area, with some surprising "victims" (a few 10-20K+ cars wearing a yellow triangle and chains)

It is really odd the way councils react. We had a 20 year old volvo parked along our road. And yes, I did a tax/mot check and all legit. After a month the council slapped a sticker on it, luckily the owner turned up before it was removed. But I wonder what comeback there would be if the council removed a fully legit car just because it had been parked for a while?
There is a Roller near us, reg oo5. Never moves, and recently a tree has fallen on it, damaged the roof etc. Bet that doesn't get removed.


WallerZero - 16/2/21 at 03:18 PM

Report it again and say you think its leaking fuel/oil. They'll be round in a flash if its considered a danger


coyoteboy - 16/2/21 at 03:38 PM

It's not being driven, so they see it as low priority just now.

Either claim it's been driven, or hook up a tow car and drag it to outside the cop station and flee


loggyboy - 16/2/21 at 04:36 PM

Council will care more than police or DVLA.


gremlin1234 - 16/2/21 at 04:43 PM

is it on a council maintained road, or a private estate? (un-adopted road)


steve m - 16/2/21 at 05:13 PM

Council have been emailed directly, but it says on the "operation crackdown site" that the relevent councils are contacted via there website

Its a normal west sussex council road, normal housing estate, and its on the main road in,to the estate

I know that in this current time we are living in, this is not perhaps a priority, but even with reduced staff etc, a quick email back to confirm, would be a start


mcerd1 - 16/2/21 at 05:22 PM

Is it taxed ?

once its run out of tax, report it as untaxed and it should get lifted pretty quick


up here folk had been reporting the same car for months - but then the tax ran out, it got reported for that a couple of days after it expired and was lifted a couple of days after that....


the police up here spend quite a bit of time escorting the DVLA guys lifting untaxed cars - one of my mates gets this job and he says they lift a lot of 1 year old small cars too
Folk think that just because its a £0 tax rate you don't need to apply for your £0 tax - then end up with an 'untaxed' vehicle marker (and a nice big fine + costs)


steve m - 16/2/21 at 05:43 PM

This car has been parked on the road for several months it is abandoned, has no tax mot or insurance"


coyoteboy - 16/2/21 at 06:03 PM

quote:

Folk think that just because its a £0 tax rate you don't need to apply for your £0 tax - then end up with an 'untaxed' vehicle marker (and a nice big fine + costs)


To be fair, that is absolute nonsense to have to apply for zero rate tax.


02GF74 - 16/2/21 at 06:14 PM

quote:
Originally posted by cliftyhanger
We had a 20 year old volvo parked along our road. And yes, I did a tax/mot check and all legit. After a month the council slapped a sticker on it.


I thought as long as the car is legal I. E. Taxed, has mot and insurance you can park it on any public road for as long as you want providing there are no road markings or signs limiting parking and its not across a dropped curb.

What gives?


James - 16/2/21 at 06:20 PM

quote:
Originally posted by steve m
I have been reporting the same car to the police and local council since July of last year




I think you're missing the most important point here... is it any good as a donor?

Sadly, abandoned cars disappear super quick round here now but back in my Locosting days they got left for weeks and I would go and help myself to any useful bits!
Apart from a rusty bolt I couldn't do with hand tools I'd have had an entire Sierra back end from a 4x4 after working on it with a head torch till 3am once!


mcerd1 - 16/2/21 at 06:27 PM

quote:
Originally posted by coyoteboy
quote:

Folk think that just because its a £0 tax rate you don't need to apply for your £0 tax - then end up with an 'untaxed' vehicle marker (and a nice big fine + costs)


To be fair, that is absolute nonsense to have to apply for zero rate tax.


I agree - but what they tell my mate is that they could decide to up the rate from £0 at any point - so they want to know who to send the bill too...


nothing new anyway - tractors, pre-73 cars (or whatever the new rule is) all have to do the same - we used to have to go to the post office every year to get our £0 tax discs for every tractor, combine and anything else that was going to drive on the road....


cliftyhanger - 16/2/21 at 07:27 PM

quote:
Originally posted by 02GF74
quote:
Originally posted by cliftyhanger
We had a 20 year old volvo parked along our road. And yes, I did a tax/mot check and all legit. After a month the council slapped a sticker on it.


I thought as long as the car is legal I. E. Taxed, has mot and insurance you can park it on any public road for as long as you want providing there are no road markings or signs limiting parking and its not across a dropped curb.

What gives?


No idea. But a few people round here seem to be councillors, which may have an effect? Maybe the stickers were put on in the hope it would get the car shifted by the owner.
But I don't understand how a legit car can be towed for being old, untidy or whatever.


ianhurley20 - 18/2/21 at 09:38 AM

Not my experience, we had an abandoned car near us, I went on the .gov site and saw no tax or mot, went on my local council web site, reported the details via their web form thing, 48 hours later they stuck an A4 sign on to the windscreen on the drivers side saying sort it or we drag it away in 7 days and shortly afterwards it was disappeared.
Very impressed. Pity all councils aren't as efficient.


swanny - 18/2/21 at 12:27 PM

i'd look up local councilor. contact them via local facebook group, then its public and they will want to be seen to have responded positively. (certainly, our local ones do)


indykid - 18/2/21 at 12:46 PM

It seems terribly stressful living in your part of the world, Steve. Have you considered moving?


Mr Whippy - 18/2/21 at 02:04 PM

quote:
Originally posted by indykid
It seems terribly stressful living in your part of the world, Steve. Have you considered moving?


like Iraq


Charlie_Zetec - 18/2/21 at 02:06 PM

Whilst I'm not advocating any sort of behaviour that would cause this.... if the vehicle was parked (moved) diagonally across the road and physically blocking access along the public highway, it *may* attract a more prompt response by the Council?!?


steve m - 18/2/21 at 03:18 PM

The car has been clamped today, and stickers etc all over it

Also another car just round the corner, so i presume they must work in area's and not specific cars


pekwah1 - 18/2/21 at 05:04 PM

Steve,

From a Horsham guy I’m simply amazed any car is left for more than 48 hours in your neck of the woods without having had it’s wheels nicked, set on fire, or the whole thing stolen!!!!

Maybe that’s the answer, just put an advert up on Facebook saying first person who can take it away can have it!


steve m - 18/2/21 at 05:30 PM

Oh, very good Shandy, and i wouldnt of expected anything less from you !