Unlicensed Vehicles on the Road

ISTR selling over a certain amount of vehicles per year could tweak the interest of customs and excise, as he probably isn`t paying what he should in tax...

Selling more than two vehicles a year is regarded as business.

DVLA web site has a facility to report unlicensed cars.

mrcheerful

The message from "John McLean" contains these words:

We had trouble with people selling old bangers from the verges round our area. A call to Trading Standards at first generated no interest, but a chat with the beat copper and a request from him lead to "Unlicenced Vehicle" stickers appearing on them all, followed by a visit from the crane-truck which took 'em all away to the breakers.

Hasn't recurred in anything like the same quantity, just the occasional one here and there which often get stickered anyway.

. I reckon all vehicle on a public highway are supposed to have current tax insurance and an MOT if not then the police or vehicle inspectorate should be doing something about it. Even if they are SORN they should not be on the public highway.

The message from "Gary Millar" contains these words:

Yes, we know all that, but it's actually how to get them to do something about it which is the question.

I *think* the law was changed recently to allow the local council to clamp/remove untaxed vehicles. Certainly, non-uniformed individuals working out of local council vans have carried out two purges in the last year where I live. There has been a police presence both times, but the officer remained in his car. There was no mercy - no current tax meant a clamp was fitted immediately, the vehicle was then removed the same day. It has been very effective in reducing the number of cars clearly not in use parked on the roads.

Chris

Contact the local plod for the following reasons:

It's legally an obstruction of the highway to carry out ANY repairs on it, even to change a flat tyre - or even to park a vehicle there It's a criminal offence to use/park an uninsured vehicle on the public highway It's a criminal offence to use/park a vehicle on the public highway without a current MOT certificate It's a criminal offence to use/park an unregistered vehicle on the public highway It's a criminal offence to use/park an unroadworthy vehicle on the public highway

Contact the DVLA:

It's a civil offence to use/park a vehicle on the public highway without a current excise licence

Contact HM Inspector of Taxes

He will soon have to register if he is self employed, it will be a criminal offence for him not to do so He must tell them of ANY income that is being made from any work that he does

This is just for starters, I'm sure if you dig deep enough you could find a few more - is he registered as unemployed...?

Brian G

I fail to see how you can apply a blanket statement like that. Who says?

The local council in my area say that. I can only assume they have some basis to do so. Thurrock Council.

mrcheerful

The message from "mrcheerful ." contains these words:

Hounslow and Telford have both told me the same in the past.

I think that' when they take action. I doubt there's any legal basis for it though as it's completly unreasonable.

Certainly, the local authority should clamp down on you neighbour. They do have sufficient complaints; you're complaining. We had a similar situation situation around here, the council eventually got him out, but it took quite some time, about a year or so I should think. Just keep at it and don't take 'no' for an answer.

Sounds like a local council policy rather than the law. They seem rather good at them.

-- R

In my dim and distant self employed past I used to maintain my courier vans myself, I had 3 and 2 cars, but they were usually taken home by the drivers. Someone local complained and I was taken to court. The court dismissed the case, but only after I had proved, by the V5s that I had owned the vehicles for some time, and wasn't trading. Apparently it is a local by-law that you can only maintain your own vehicles outside your house.

-- R

Quite likely, however it is likely to be the local council who the op might contact to get the nuisance looked into, there is also similar recourse to stop anyone working on a vehicle in the road, unless it is to fix a breakdown.

mrcheerful

John McLean ( snipped-for-privacy@btopenworld.com) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

Probably a silly question - but if that's happened before around you, is it really any more likely to happen to this guy's cars?

You are probably allowed to maintain your own (registered) cars, but even then maintenance is not a daily occurrence. It's much easier to put up with a nuisance that's not a daily occurrence. The other guy was apparently running a secondhand car business; that's not on.

Johannes ( snipped-for-privacy@spam-gets-lost-sizefitter.com) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

I think there's quite a few of us who've had cars that would disprove that statement...

Vehicles which seem to be abandoned, are also a target for the bored cretins looking for jollies.

IMHO, vehicles which seem to be abandoned, are more of a target for the bored cretins looking for jollies.

Thanks for all the responses, they gives me some guidance on what to do. jaymack