Council threatening to remove my vehicle from my driveway?
Discussion
Today I received a 'hand delivered' envelope with the local council's letterheaded paper inside it. The letter goes on to explain that the vehicle 'appears to be hazardous due to the way it has been parked, covering half of the pedestrian footway and possibly abandoned'.
Unless I claim the vehicle and move it, they will remove it and dispose of it, i may be issued a FPN of £200 and may face prosecution, in addition i may have to pay for the cost of removal and storage.
The vehicle in question sticks out of my driveway by about 6". The wheels are on my property. I'm quite sure that a t
ttish neighbour has complained about it. Do I have a leg to stand on?
Unless I claim the vehicle and move it, they will remove it and dispose of it, i may be issued a FPN of £200 and may face prosecution, in addition i may have to pay for the cost of removal and storage.
The vehicle in question sticks out of my driveway by about 6". The wheels are on my property. I'm quite sure that a t
ttish neighbour has complained about it. Do I have a leg to stand on?It It was genuinely from the council it wouldn't have been hand delivered. Someone has taken some letter headed paper (most likely a council tax bill) photo copied it blanking out the lower portion leaving just the heading then typed out their own wording then photo copied it again before posting it to you.
Its just an ar5e hole neighbour with no bottle to confront you, the weedy goofy nerdy type with very little else in their life..
Its just an ar5e hole neighbour with no bottle to confront you, the weedy goofy nerdy type with very little else in their life..
Councils don't typically hand-deliver letters and it's easy enough to knock up an official-looking letterhead. It's distinctly possible that a disgruntled neighbour is putting the frighteners on you.
That said, one man's delicately aging classic is another man's sheddy eyesore and particularly if the six inch overhang significantly obstructs the pavement then I can see people getting narked. Photos (ideally of the car & drive) would indeed be useful.
That said, one man's delicately aging classic is another man's sheddy eyesore and particularly if the six inch overhang significantly obstructs the pavement then I can see people getting narked. Photos (ideally of the car & drive) would indeed be useful.
A1VDY said:
It It was genuinely from the council it wouldn't have been hand delivered. Someone has taken some letter headed paper (most likely a council tax bill) photo copied it blanking out the lower portion leaving just the heading then typed out their own wording then photo copied it again before posting it to you.
Its just an ar5e hole neighbour with no bottle to confront you, the weedy goofy nerdy type with very little else in their life..
What this peep says. They've hand delivered the letter but says it's possibly abandoned? Nah, just a chancer. Dare say they would send a couple of letters first. Anyway wouldn't it be the DVLA who send the letter as they have the database? Its just an ar5e hole neighbour with no bottle to confront you, the weedy goofy nerdy type with very little else in their life..
fiju said:
Today I received a 'hand delivered' envelope with the local council's letterheaded paper inside it. The letter goes on to explain that the vehicle 'appears to be hazardous due to the way it has been parked, covering half of the pedestrian footway and possibly abandoned'.
Unless I claim the vehicle and move it, they will remove it and dispose of it, i may be issued a FPN of £200 and may face prosecution, in addition i may have to pay for the cost of removal and storage.
The vehicle in question sticks out of my driveway by about 6". The wheels are on my property. I'm quite sure that a tttish neighbour has complained about it. Do I have a leg to stand on?
Just move the sofa a bit and get the car onto your property fully. Unless I claim the vehicle and move it, they will remove it and dispose of it, i may be issued a FPN of £200 and may face prosecution, in addition i may have to pay for the cost of removal and storage.
The vehicle in question sticks out of my driveway by about 6". The wheels are on my property. I'm quite sure that a t
ttish neighbour has complained about it. Do I have a leg to stand on?
fiju said:
Today I received a 'hand delivered' envelope with the local council's letterheaded paper inside it. The letter goes on to explain that the vehicle 'appears to be hazardous due to the way it has been parked, covering half of the pedestrian footway and possibly abandoned'.
So is the "pedestrian footway" 12" wide then?I'll get a pic tomorrow, a bit dark now.
To be honest, the vehicle (transit) has got a flat tyre and there's no number plate on the back (the side facing out) due to someone stealing it, so I can understand why it looks abandoned. It doesn't get driven so i'm reluctant to do anything about it. It's taxed and mot'd otherwise. I can't pull it in any further in because it's almost right up against my garage door. I did notice a sticker on one of the back doors the other day saying something about being abandoned...
The letter looks pretty official, with a phone number, reference and a name etc. I don't think it's a photoshop. It's addressed to 'To whom it may concern', with my address on it. Makes sense if they can't run a check on it, but hand posting it is a bit strange.
The letter has a date of 28th August 2019. The envelope has hand writing on it which says Hand Delivered 24/09/19.
One of the statements on the letter says, 'The vehicle may be removed and disposed of, as allowed under Section 3 of the Refuse Disposal (Amenity) Act 1978'.
Section 3 of the Refuse Disposal (Amenity) Act 1978 states:
3 Removal of abandoned vehicles.
(1)Where it appears to a local authority that a motor vehicle in their area is abandoned without lawful authority on any land in the open air or on any other land forming part of a [F6highway][F6road], it shall be the duty of the authority, subject to the following provisions of this section, to remove the vehicle.
(2)Where it appears to a local authority that the land on which a motor vehicle is abandoned as aforesaid is occupied by any person, the authority shall give him notice . . . F7 that they propose to remove the vehicle in pursuance of subsection (1) above but shall not be entitled to remove it if he objects to the proposal . . . F7 within the prescribed period.
[F8(2A)Subsection (2) does not apply where the vehicle is abandoned on a road (within the meaning of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984).]
This says that I can object and they can't do anything. However, if it's on the road then they can legally remove it.
The letter states that I have 14 days in which to claim the vehicle AND move it.
Due to the wheels being on my driveway and a slight overhang on the pavement, is that classed as being 'on the road'?
To be honest, the vehicle (transit) has got a flat tyre and there's no number plate on the back (the side facing out) due to someone stealing it, so I can understand why it looks abandoned. It doesn't get driven so i'm reluctant to do anything about it. It's taxed and mot'd otherwise. I can't pull it in any further in because it's almost right up against my garage door. I did notice a sticker on one of the back doors the other day saying something about being abandoned...
The letter looks pretty official, with a phone number, reference and a name etc. I don't think it's a photoshop. It's addressed to 'To whom it may concern', with my address on it. Makes sense if they can't run a check on it, but hand posting it is a bit strange.
The letter has a date of 28th August 2019. The envelope has hand writing on it which says Hand Delivered 24/09/19.
One of the statements on the letter says, 'The vehicle may be removed and disposed of, as allowed under Section 3 of the Refuse Disposal (Amenity) Act 1978'.
Section 3 of the Refuse Disposal (Amenity) Act 1978 states:
3 Removal of abandoned vehicles.
(1)Where it appears to a local authority that a motor vehicle in their area is abandoned without lawful authority on any land in the open air or on any other land forming part of a [F6highway][F6road], it shall be the duty of the authority, subject to the following provisions of this section, to remove the vehicle.
(2)Where it appears to a local authority that the land on which a motor vehicle is abandoned as aforesaid is occupied by any person, the authority shall give him notice . . . F7 that they propose to remove the vehicle in pursuance of subsection (1) above but shall not be entitled to remove it if he objects to the proposal . . . F7 within the prescribed period.
[F8(2A)Subsection (2) does not apply where the vehicle is abandoned on a road (within the meaning of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984).]
This says that I can object and they can't do anything. However, if it's on the road then they can legally remove it.
The letter states that I have 14 days in which to claim the vehicle AND move it.
Due to the wheels being on my driveway and a slight overhang on the pavement, is that classed as being 'on the road'?
Edited by fiju on Tuesday 24th September 19:41
A friend of mine had a hand-delivered notice from the Council, threatening a fine if they did not trim their enormous bush.
Needless to say, his wife was affronted until she realised it related to a conifer that had expanded about a foot over the pavement.
Now whether they walk or drive the streets looking for offending bushes, I know not but could this have been noticed on such a reconnaissance?
Needless to say, his wife was affronted until she realised it related to a conifer that had expanded about a foot over the pavement.
Now whether they walk or drive the streets looking for offending bushes, I know not but could this have been noticed on such a reconnaissance?
deckster said:
Councils don't typically hand-deliver letters and it's easy enough to knock up an official-looking letterhead. It's distinctly possible that a disgruntled neighbour is putting the frighteners on you.
That said, one man's delicately aging classic is another man's sheddy eyesore and particularly if the six inch overhang significantly obstructs the pavement then I can see people getting narked. Photos (ideally of the car & drive) would indeed be useful.
My local council routinely hand delivers invoices, polling cards, parking permits and also letters so it's distinctly possible that it's genuine.That said, one man's delicately aging classic is another man's sheddy eyesore and particularly if the six inch overhang significantly obstructs the pavement then I can see people getting narked. Photos (ideally of the car & drive) would indeed be useful.
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