Just Had The Car Towed!

[HaizeyDays]

Hello,

I was just about to head off to the bridge club and when I got to the car it had gone! Apparently I havent paid my car tax. Naughty naughty. Anyway, its staying the night in Reading pound, and I was wondering how much this car hotel was going to cost me? Does anyone know? I can't find a damn thing online.

Also, I was going to scrap it in a couple of weeks anyway. Can I just tell them to crush it for me (after I've retrieved my golf clubs from the boot) and not pay the release fees?

Haizeydays

[woofgang]

I hope not!

[Mamyalynne]

Rough details

Full details of the statutory charges can be found in the Road Traffic Act (Retention and Disposal of Seized Vehicles) Regulations 2005 - Amended 2008. This document is available on the internet.

These charges vary according to the weight and condition of the vehicle. In most cases these charges will be:

Motorcycles - £150 removal charges and £10 per day storage charge
Car and light vans - £150 removal charge and £20 per day storage




Disclaiming a vehicle

If you do want to reclaim your vehicle from the pound, you should attend with proof of identity and ownership and sign a disclaimer. For vehicles seized under these powers there are no charges to pay if the vehicle is left at the pound for disposal.


Source

http://content.met.police.uk/Article/Reclaiming-a-Seized-Vehicle/1400028464360/1400028464360

[Prudie]

Can they just come and remove your car from outside your home for having no tax? I had no idea. Did you not get a warning?

[SirOracle]

Yes they can Prudie if its on the highway. No warning need be given.

[alavahalf]

Yes ... your road tax demand.

[Prudie]

Well I never knew that, Quite a deterrent

[HaizeyDays]

Thankyou for your answers. Im in Winchester and parking is a nightmare. It is by permit in zones offive or six streets per zone. I was parked on the street down from the one I live on. Iwas properly permitted though.
There was no warning sticker on it - I arrived back from Amazingstoke at 11pm last night, and apparently they whipped it away this afternoon while I was at work. If there was a warning, I haven't had chance to be warned by it!
I thought you used to get reminders in the post to tell yiu your tax was due. Does this not happen any more?

Haizeydays

[Peter Pedant]

You should get a warning but I dont think you can use that as an excuse/defence

when it first started - the DVLA computer was inaccurate in around 20% depending on what you mean by inaccurate

so they kept on stopping my car
and I used to sniff " Do I look as tho I cant tax this car ? "
one cradled the paper tax disc as tho it were a host from a tabernacle

anyway it looks as tho you wont get away with less than £200

[Peter Pedant]

O sorry
and I noticed I didnt get a reminder for two or three years whilst all this was going on ....
[ and then suddenly I did and they stopped stopping the car ]

[bednobs]

unfortuntely if you fail to pay up the debt will just keep racking up and you'll still continue to owe it

[HaizeyDays]

Ah well. Looks like A Christmas Carol will have more meaning this year then.
Best Wishes from the Haizey/Cratchit household.

[hc4361]

Let us know if you have to pay for the scrapping of the car.

IMPORTANT - DISPOSAL CHARGE
If your vehicle is was removed to be pound under statutory powers (abandoned, accident damaged, causing an obstruction) even if you choose not to reclaim it you must still attend the police pound to prove ownership and pay statutory disposal charge.

http://content.met.police.uk/Article/Reclaiming-an-Impounded-Vehicle/1400009473062/1400009473062

You will still be liable for the back tax.

[Togo]

http://www.creativetaxdiscs.co.uk/page9.html

With the advent of the disc less car tax system, it is very easy to get caught out. You could put one of these on your car to remind you. It was an offence to display a counterfeit tax disc, but seeing as there is no such thing as a tax disc you cannot be charged with copying one.

[frugalfred]

Prudie & Sir Oracle -if you own a vehicle, you have either (a) to tax it, or (b) to make a SORN - Statutory Off-Road Notification. Failure to tax a vehicle or SORN it, even if it is off the road on private land, is an offence.

[SirOracle]

Thank you frugalfred for your enlightenment,but I was answering the question by Prudie about the "right" to tow a vehicle which was on the road but untaxed.

Of course if a vehicle is off the road a SORN certificate must be applied for,however failure to comply with this can result in a fine of up to £1000 plus payment of back tax.

The vehicle cannot be impounded.

[frugalfred]

OK, sir oracle - my comment was really for Prudie's benefit.