Council destroyed my car full of belongings

vax2002

So it was not taxed nor registered in you name.
Is that correct

Norfolk_Jim

If it was not taxed and you had not declared SORN you might find yourself with little grounds for compensation.
You could try some of the claims companies you can find online, they might be willing to sue for you if you had declared SORN

ShaneUK

I truly think you need legal advice, and fast!

Do you have a paid for bank account? You may be able to get legal advice through that.

Or do you have Private Healthcare? Some Private Medical Insurance policies have an extra service whereby you can get legal advice, often through something called an EAP (Employee Assistance Programme).

Some home insurance policies also have legal advice helplines.

Good luck!

mummyplus3

vax2002 wrote: »

So it was not taxed nor registered in you name.
Is that correct

Yes at the time it was picked up, I reported it stolen the same day it was towed and the council knew it was mine the next day. Gave them proof it was mine with the crime number and car insurance They've had it for approx 3 weeks and destroyed it yesterday.

shaun_from_Africa

If they've had it 3 weeks, why didn't you arrange to have it picked up from their impound yard or depot in that time?

vax2002

This story is picking apart at the seams.

mummyplus3

shaun_from_Africa wrote: »

If they've had it 3 weeks, why didn't you arrange to have it picked up from their impound yard or depot in that time?

because I was refusing to pay to have it towed back to me as its not taxed and the woman dealing with it went on 2 weeks annual leave. So She was arranging to have to brought back to me when she came back from leave this week and I havent needed the car and it appeared to be safe where it was so I didnt feel the need to rush it back if she was dealing with it IYSWIM

pinkshoes

There was a similar case of this happening in Oxford a couple of years ago. I'll try and find the story from the papers!

I attempted to report a van as abandoned, but as it had valid tax, the council wouldn't do anything. It sat there for 3 months, and the day before the tax ran out, the owner claimed it.

I am guessing the council will use the "no tax" as their defence, but it's not really excusable for crushing it. Saying that, as it had no tax at the time, they quite rightfully thought it had been abandoned, hence they took it away, and hence you would have been liable for paying to have it returned.

bosseyed

mummyplus3 wrote: »

Hi,

Wondering if anyone can let me know my rights in this!

My car was reported as abandoned outside my old house?!
We then moved and moved the car onto a private parking space off the road.

A couple of weeks after moving in my car went missing so we rung the police and reported it stolen (we didnt know the council had it or it had been reported as abandoned at this point)

A couple of days later we got a call from the police and told the council had it.


A few phonecalls back and forth trying to sort out the return of the car and we got a phonecall this morning from the council saying that they had destroyed the car!!

Spoke to the woman who was dealing with me about it and she is mortified, tried to ring the people to stop the car being destroyed but its too late. They've already done it.

The car was locked and full of belongings because we'd just downsized house which are now all detroyed too.

What on earth do I do now?!

There was £100's of stuff in the car plus lots of things you can't put a price on...

(stuff in the car was packed to go into storage which is why its in there)

Oh and the car was taken from my marked off road parking space next to the house, not from where it was originally reported abandoned so it obviously wasnt abanadoned in the first place!!

It's been a major c*ck-up from start to finish and i've just lost about £1500

I am so :mad:

Ok, so I'm not yet disputing this but I'm just going to run through it as I can't get my head around it:

1) Car is parked outside your old house - on the road. You've packed it full of important posessions for whatever reason.

2) Car is reported as abandoned by some scallywag. How long had it been parked there full of important stuff?

3) You move the car.

4) Car is now parked on an off road space at your new house. Still full of important posessions.

5) The council somehow know the car is now located at your new house, pop along and take it, despite it clearly not being abandoned having moved from its original location and now being parked in a private space outside a house.

6) You find car gone. You ring police.

7) Police ring you to say the council have it

8) You ring the council and say "Oi, why have you got my car"

9) Council offer to tow it back to you as its not taxed, you say "No way gringo! I ain't payin' for that foool"

10) Council keep car. For some reason still full of valuable posessions which no one seems to want to collect.

11) Lady at the council who has been keeping the crushers at bay pops off on holibobs.

12) Council crush car in her absence

13) Council phone to say 'Hello there! We've squashed your car and also everything inside it, ciao"

Is that right? I think its the point where the council rock up and run off with your car from outside your new house I can't grasp.

3v3

mummyplus3 wrote: »

The people destroying the car who I spoke too this morning said that they have skipped some of the stuff and done some process to the car wher they suck everything out of it?! He also said that the stuff will be contaminated now so we cant have it back.

All my little girls toys and photo's etc are in there

You left them in your car, for three weeks, in this heat??

I wouldn't leave my empty shopping bags in my car for 3 days, let alone 3 weeks.