My neighbour's lodger has dumped a C-reg Astra outside my house and disappeared.
It is a hideous wreck but is taxed until August. It has been there for a month and is very annoying.
He cannot be contacted.
Any ideas on getting it disappeared?
Am I right in thinking the police/fire brigade have to remove any car leaking petrol?
Perhaps a leak could be arranged...
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Perhaps a leak could be arranged...
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Perhaps a prosecution for criminal damage could also be arranged!
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Perhaps a leak could be arranged...
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>>Perhaps a prosecution for criminal damage could also be >>arranged!
Come on Frostbite! Give Cambridge a break! I know that his suggestion was possibly a little foolhardy but his neighbour's lodger has been selfish in the extreme. I know that the car is taxed and, as such has every right to be there but if Cambridge doesn't have a driveway then he is being inconvenienced by this selfish act (and yes I know that no one has the right to park right outside their house!).
Cambridge - I wouldn't go down the 'arranging a leak' route, but a quick call to your local council should give you the information that you need.
Good luck!
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Come on Frostbite! Give Cambridge a break!
It was a rather tongue in cheek response to what I suspect was a t-i-c suggestion!
I can sympathise, having 'enjoyed' a similar experience.
Perhaps a friendly plod could PNC it to see if insurance appears to be present - it's only an indication, but it would be a start.
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>>It was a rather tongue in cheek response to what I suspect was >>a t-i-c suggestion!
Baaa-baaa baaa-baaa!
Frostbite - that was me being sheepish! Apologies for being thick. I've spent the day digging compost into the garden so I think that the unaccustomed physical exertion has caused a shortgae of oxygen to my brain!! ;-)
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In my council area, the police and the council will not deal with a legal (i.e. it has not been reported stolen) road-taxed car. The council and Police might deal with it if it is seen as a danger in some way, such as parked illegally or dangerously.
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Tell the Police that it has been left there for several weeks (possibly dumped), you have seen yobs playing with it, (trying to break in and steal parts), and if they don't remove it, it is likely to be burned out. which will put the area in danger as other cars park in close proximity as well as houses.
If it is truly a wreck, get them to check if it has an MOT or insurance.
On a similar note, what would you do if the car had no tax, but was being driven every day? The reason I ask is that a neighbour's daughter's boyfriend has an old passat. He seems to stay there most nights, but he doesn't live there. The tax ran out in feb and he continues to drive it everyday. I am reluctant to report him, but if he is driving illegally and my wife and daughter are involved in an accident with him, what would the position be?
Jonathan
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It depends on whether or not he has insurance. The worst that would happen is that you'd have to make a claim on your own insurance for uninsured losses - he'd come off much worse. His insurance, assuming he has it, wouldn't be invalidated if there is no valid tax disc.
Cambridge - all you can do is report it to the local council. If they won't take action, there's not much that can be done, although at some point it is likely to be vandalised. (The view from my flat suggests as soon as the 'police aware' stickers are put on it).
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The council can take action even if the car is road legal.
POWERS AND RESPONSIBILITIES TO REMOVE VEHICLES
11. Local authorities (district and unitary) have a statutory duty under the Removal and Disposal of Vehicles Regulations 1986, made under the Refuse Disposal (Amenity) Act 1978 and the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 to remove vehicles abandoned in the open air. Local authorities are obliged to notify the owner of the vehicle either by attaching the notice to the vehicle or sending it to the address of the last known keeper. They must allow the following notice periods to expire before the vehicle can be removed:
15 days if the vehicle has been abandoned on private land
7 days if the vehicle is abandoned on the highway and is in such a condition that it has no value
Vehicles with some value that have been abandoned on the highway may be removed immediately by the local authority who then send a 21 day notice to the address of the last registered keeper (a subsequent notice of 14 days may be issued to enable the local authority to make further enquiries).
12. Section 101 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 gives powers to competent authorities (i.e. local authorities and police) to dispose of vehicles that have been abandoned. Where a local authority is of the opinion that a vehicle is in a condition in which it ought to be destroyed, and it does not have a current licence displayed, the vehicle can be destroyed immediately. If a vehicle is in a similar poor condition, but has a licence displayed, the vehicle can only be destroyed after the licence expires. Where a vehicle is not in a poor condition, a local authority has to take steps to find the owner of the vehicle. If the local authority fails to find the owner, or if the owner fails to comply with the notices served on him, the local authority can dispose of the vehicle after the expiry of the licence, if it is in force. In practice, only those vehicles that are unlicensed are ticketed for removal and a significant proportion of those (typically half) are moved before the notice period expires.
13. Under the Removal and Disposal of Vehicles Regulations 1986, made under Section 99 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1994, the police have powers to move a vehicle where it is dangerous or a hazard to traffic. Vehicles are normally either removed to a pound or to a location on the highway where they no longer pose a hazard.
14. The DVLA is responsible for maintaining the vehicle record and licensing vehicles. The Secretary of State has powers under the Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994 to appoint contractors with the powers to clamp and then remove unlicensed vehicles. Owners are required to take out a new licence and pay release fees and any storage costs before a vehicle is released.
15. The Vehicle Excise Duty (Immobilisation, Removal and Disposal of Vehicles) Regulations 1997 set out the conditions for the clamping, removal, storage and disposal of unlicensed vehicles. The regulations state that a vehicle cannot be disposed of unless the name and address of the owner cannot be ascertained, or the owner fails to comply with a notice served on him by post, giving him 14 days from the date on which the notice was served to remove the vehicle from the custody of the custodian. Vehicles have to be stored for five weeks beginning on the date that the vehicle was removed before they can be disposed of. These regulations apply throughout the United Kingdom.
16. Experience shows that 40% of vehicles wheelclamped for VED evasion are released within 24 hours and of the vehicles that are impounded, only some 7% are released. The remaining unclaimed vehicles are disposed of either by sale at auction or crushing. In practice, most vehicles are of no value and are crushed.
More info at: www.roads.dft.gov.uk/consult/abandon/
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One of my specialist subjects at the moment. Check out your local council's website, no doubt they will have an abandoned cars policy. This may include the removal of taxed cars in circumstances that they appear to be abandoned and worthless. If they are a switched on authority they may well have an e-mail facility for reporting such vehicles. It is difficult to give specific advice as there is a wide difference between authorities in the way they handle matters. An example locally is that one authoruty, with Police co-operation would shift this vehicle and store it somewhere, the neighbouring authority would leave it until the tax runs out. The first authority takes a gamble on what they do and I know that they were sued in one case and settled out of Court for £300.00. They viewed this as cost effective.
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"what would you do if the car had no tax"
Probably no insurance or MOT either. Report it, witness statement form available at;
www.dvla.gov.uk/forms/frms_vehicles.htm
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and if it has no insurance, then the poor s** who gets run over and killed/disabled by it wont get a penny, nor will his widow or dependent children.
He might get an extra months sentence though ;)
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You could slide a trolley jack under the offending car and move it to somewhere slightly less irritating to yourslef. Presumably if you don't damage the car and leave it legally parked it will be OK legally. Don't move it too far though.
James S
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I like this idea. But...
I'd have to lift the rear as the handbrake is on; and it has a steering lock on it with the wheels pointing sharp into the kerb.
It is so annoying...
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It would be tempting just to put your own 'Council Aware' sticker on and let nature take its course.
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