Reports of a possible abandoned vehicle to a council led to an untaxed car being towed away.
Mansfield District Council’s Community Safety team quickly sent out two Neighbourhood Wardens to investigate after a report of a possible abandoned car on its website.
They located the silver coloured Audi saloon parked on a public road in the Forest Town area.
A quick check with on the DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency) website revealed the car had SORN tax status which meant it was untaxed and should have been stored off a public road.
The council works in partnership with the DVLA in Operation Cubit which seeks to crackdown on car owners who not pay their road tax.
Within hours of reporting the vehicle, the DVLA removed the car leaving the owner having to pay £150 on top of the tax owed and £20 for every day the vehicle was kept in storage. Vehicles which are not reclaimed within a certain time can be destroyed.
The council deals with about dozen such cases a year, usually as a result of people reporting abandoned vehicles on its website.
David Evans, Head of Health and Communities, said: “This Operation Cubit partnership with the DVLA works very effectively and is part of our drive to improve the appearance of the district and bring a sense of pride among residents for their own neighbourhoods.
“No one likes to see abandoned vehicles. It is very simple to report them on our website and we will investigate these reports.
“While we don’t have the power, ourselves, to act in situations where vehicles are untaxed or have no MoT, we can report them on to authorities that can act.
“Our advice is: pay your road tax and get an MoT, or you could be fined or even lose your car.”
To report a possible abandoned vehicle go visit the Report It section of council website.
