My car was towed while awaiting repairs - should the garage pay for the fine because they parked it on the road?

My car has spent several weeks at the garage waiting to be repaired (parts coming from the US) in the mean time the tax and MoT had expired. I didn't think this was a problem because last time I saw the car it was parked up in front of the garage. At some stage they parked it in the road and it was towed away to the pound, which was my fault apparently for not telling them the tax had run out. I've paid the release fee and they have paid for the recovery truck to get the car back. I understand from the DVLA that I have a penalty/fine in the post for unpaid tax. Is it my fault, i.e. should I just pay the fine, or does the garage have a duty of care to look after my vehicle?

Asked on 20 April 2018 by Robin Steer-Smith

Answered by Honest John
It's worth pleading with the the DVLA that your car was with a garage waiting for parts and the MoT had run out so it could not be re-taxed. You had no idea that the garage would store it on the road.
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