Free car?

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Thu 12 Jan 2006 21:54
Free car? - dodo
Parked on the verge outside my house is a very clean 1997 Citroen ZX Diesel. Naturally no tax disc is apparent but the car has good tyres and shows 76000 miles. It was abandoned there before Christmas and it now sports a notice that it will be removed (yesterday being the deadline) by the local authority. If I go out tonight and get it manhandled into my yard will I have stolen it? If so from whom? It would not be my intention to put the car back on the road and yes I am a law abiding citizen!
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Thu 12 Jan 2006 21:59
Free car? - BobbyG
Dodo, lots of discussion on this before though I am not sure what you would put into the forum search to find it!

IIRC, you could be deemed to be stealing as you have no rightful ownership of the property but really not sure.
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Thu 12 Jan 2006 22:02
Free car? - BobbyG
Found this under a forum search of "abandoned" and within the thread, there is also a link to another discussion on the matter.

Hope this helps!

www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=34169&...f

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Thu 12 Jan 2006 22:12
Free car? - dodo
Thanks. Will leave be.
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Thu 12 Jan 2006 22:27
Free car? - Navara Van man
The problem would be redgistering it as you do not have the V5.
If the car is getting in the way then I would tow it further down the road out the way.

A year ago someone decided to 'abandon' a untaxed car for a week outside my house partly blocking the drive. After five days and the police refusing to do anything it was shifted to the near by layby thanks to my tow chain. The fact that the cars handbrake cable either snapped or was certainly streached by the process and the rear bumper cracked might teach them not to be so stupid as to block my drive.

Paul
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Thu 12 Jan 2006 22:31
Free car? - bell boy
you should have put it on its roof and it would have then been down to street cleansing/enviromental health and been moved within the hour
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Thu 12 Jan 2006 22:33
Free car? - Navara Van man
I will give this a try if ever it happens again.

Paul
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Thu 12 Jan 2006 22:39
Free car? - BobbyG
Something similar happened at last store I worked in. Car was abandoned in our car park (which didn't have any controls).

Under the cover of darkness it mysteriously moved from the car park to the main road and was thus taken away by the council!
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Fri 13 Jan 2006 00:12
Free car? - Galaxy
The problem would be redgistering it as you do not have the V5.

Probably not, unless, that is, they've changed their procedures since the introduction of the V5C registration document.

When the DVLA receive a form requesting registration without a V5 or V5C the usual practice is to write to the last registered keeper and ask them whether they still want the car. If they don't, or, even, if they don't reply within 14 days to the DVLA's letter, a new registration document will then be issued. Not sure now, in this instance, if a fee is charged for this.

Someone parked a, as it turned out, stolen car across my driveway some years ago. However, it didn't block it up for very long! My not inconsiderable bulk soon propelled this vehicle some distance along the road, to a point where there were no driveways to obstruct.
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Fri 13 Jan 2006 08:49
Free car? - adverse camber
just a thought, but for the council to tow and destroy they presumably must become the owner ? Ring them and offer to dispose of the vehicle in exchange for ownership or £10 - would save them the disposal cost.

MAybe someone could confirm the actual rules that cover councils removing abandoned vehicles.
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Fri 13 Jan 2006 09:00
Free car? - Civic8
>>but for the council to tow and destroy they presumably must become the owner ?

Our council Bromley,contracts out meaning scrap firms take the vehicle not the council.its also rare now to see an abandoned car left longer than 7 days

--
Steve
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