Discussion
Hi all
Found a ticket for a £30 fine on my screen the weekend before last because roadtax had finished two days before. Thing is, although I'd had a reminder (about a month previous)
my wife just had our first baby four weeks before (stress!) and we're in the process of moving house (stress!!!) and the last thing that came to mind was my road-tax. In light of the fact that the car had been parked outside our flat and not driven anywhere for days (though still parked on a public road) I have a couple of questions.
1/ If I ask to go to court will I just have to explain my case to a bloke behind a desk as if it were a parking fine or will it actually go before a court?
2/ How sympathetic are they likely to be, or is it normally a case of zero tolerance?
It's not the money, I'm tempted to pay it just for peace of mind over Christmas. I just feel hacked off under the circumstances and anyone who has been through both of these might understand. I wish I'd seen that traffic warden!
Cheers
Trevor
Found a ticket for a £30 fine on my screen the weekend before last because roadtax had finished two days before. Thing is, although I'd had a reminder (about a month previous)
my wife just had our first baby four weeks before (stress!) and we're in the process of moving house (stress!!!) and the last thing that came to mind was my road-tax. In light of the fact that the car had been parked outside our flat and not driven anywhere for days (though still parked on a public road) I have a couple of questions.
1/ If I ask to go to court will I just have to explain my case to a bloke behind a desk as if it were a parking fine or will it actually go before a court?
2/ How sympathetic are they likely to be, or is it normally a case of zero tolerance?
It's not the money, I'm tempted to pay it just for peace of mind over Christmas. I just feel hacked off under the circumstances and anyone who has been through both of these might understand. I wish I'd seen that traffic warden!
Cheers
Trevor
Pay the £30 (look on the bright side, they have the power to remove and crush your car now for not having tax) and do as Jason says, just write and plead your case. The letter will cost you a stamp and you may be let off. If you're not, it's just not worth fighting. After all, you broke the law and I can't see why a court would let you off whereas the TWs/Police might.
I agree - for the sake of £30, its not worth the bother and added stress of it all. I would write "Paid Under Protest" on the summons and pay it. If its worth the countless letters, days off work to appear in court etc, then appeal after.
The other way to view it that £30 is a tank of fuel and if your a wedge owner, that £30 buys you a huge grin
...
The other way to view it that £30 is a tank of fuel and if your a wedge owner, that £30 buys you a huge grin
... Re-tax the car back to the start of the month, and write a nice letter to your local vehicle licensing office with the case refernce number on explaining the circs and new baby etc, and that you're a law abiding citizen who'd simply forgotten etc. They are usually reasonable in my experience. Worth a try before you cough up the £30 anyway.
Last time they tried this on with me I got a summons and a £150 fine. I rang them up and told them I'd try to save the taxpayer some money and them getting red faces in court by offering them the chance to double check their facts. They rang back three hours later to apologise and say yes they did now understand it was an unadopted road, and no, I wouldn't need to pay up or go to court.
Last time they tried this on with me I got a summons and a £150 fine. I rang them up and told them I'd try to save the taxpayer some money and them getting red faces in court by offering them the chance to double check their facts. They rang back three hours later to apologise and say yes they did now understand it was an unadopted road, and no, I wouldn't need to pay up or go to court.
leorest said:
...they did now understand it was an unadopted road, and no, I wouldn't need to pay up or go to court.
Leo
There are several. The best bit about ours is that the council lads found themselves nearby with too much Tarmac on their hands a couple of years ago and for a small inducement 'accidentally' spread it all over our road.
tallbloke said:Class!
...they did now understand it was an unadopted road, and no, I wouldn't need to pay up or go to court.
Leo
There are several. The best bit about ours is that the council lads found themselves nearby with too much Tarmac on their hands a couple of years ago and for a small inducement 'accidentally' spread it all over our road.
My Dad got several lorry loads of scalpings delivered ex-Heathrow 27L/R for a modest bung. It was quite surprising how small an area a lorry load covers!
Thanks for the replies,
after a bit of cooling off I've decided to just pay for the sake of £30, though it would have put a bit of extra petrol in ( I've been a wedge owner for 8 years by the way). I did actually renew the tax immediately after i got the fine, it just wound me up that I probably got the same fine a proper tax dodger would have got. Incidentally, though I live miles from the town-centre or any car park, same thing happened to a neighbour last year, so they must even patrol the streets!
after a bit of cooling off I've decided to just pay for the sake of £30, though it would have put a bit of extra petrol in ( I've been a wedge owner for 8 years by the way). I did actually renew the tax immediately after i got the fine, it just wound me up that I probably got the same fine a proper tax dodger would have got. Incidentally, though I live miles from the town-centre or any car park, same thing happened to a neighbour last year, so they must even patrol the streets!
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