An abandoned car in Mansfield has been towed away with its owner now facing a deadline before the vehicle is destroyed by authorities. Mansfield District Council received reports of a possible abandoned vehicle in the Forest Town area.
The council says that its community safety team sent out two neighbourhood wardens to investigate the reports. The team soon located a silver Audi saloon parked on a public road.
DVLA checks revealed that the vehicle was untaxed and it therefore should have been stored away from a public road. The DVLA removed the vehicle within hours of the reports being received.
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The council works with the DVLA as part of Operation Cubit, which aims to tackle car owners who do not pay their road tax. About a dozen such cases are dealt with each year in Mansfield, with people usually reporting abandoned vehicles on the council website.
David Evans, the 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."
The owner will now be left with a bill of £150 on top of the tax owed, as well as £20 for every day the vehicle is kept in storage, although those that are not reclaimed within a certain time limit can be destroyed. Those who wish to report an abandoned vehicle can do so on the council's website.
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