Closed
Abandoned vehicle parked outside 3 Victoria Place, Larkhall, BA1.
Reported via desktop in the Abandoned Vehicles/Bikes category anonymously at 13:34, Sun 11 February 2024
Sent to Bath and North East Somerset Council less than a minute later. Council ref: 5561486.
This vehicle has been parked in the same spot for more than a month. It is a state of obvious disrepair with a missing front number plate and a broken wing mirror on the driver’s side.
Updates
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Car is taxed and moted. Someone is looking after it, how do you know it's abandoned?
Posted anonymously at 07:40, Mon 12 February 2024
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The car meets two of the criteria listed by the Council for reporting abandoned vehicles. It hasn’t been moved in more than a month and is in a state of visible disrepair. In its current state it isn’t even roadworthy for two separate reasons, yet no effort has been made to change that. Irrespective of its tax and MOT status, no one is looking after it. There may be an alternative explanation, but only the Council can contact the registered owners to find out. Hence the report.
Posted anonymously at 09:56, Mon 12 February 2024
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Thank you for your report. We are investigating this issue and will keep your report updated throughout the process.
State changed to: Investigating
Posted by Bath and North East Somerset Council at 14:38, Mon 12 February 2024
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We inspected this vehicle, it does not fit our criteria as an abandoned vehicle as it stands at present. Hence we cannot get the detail of the registered keeper under the Refuse Disposal (Amenity) Act 1978. If you have any firm evidence that this vehicle has been left forever (abandoned) we may be able to take this case forward but without that we will have to close this case.
Posted by Bath and North East Somerset Council at 16:23, Tue 13 February 2024
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What an odd response. How can I know if it has been abandoned ‘forever’ unless I ask the owner (who I don’t know) or ‘forever’ has elapsed? What evidence are to talking about? What criteria are you using? Your own website says a vehicle can be reported if it hasn’t been moved for more than a month and is in a state of disrepair. Both apply to this vehicle. Maybe there are different criteria for reporting a vehicle and deciding that it is abandoned. If so, please say what they are. Do I wait two months? A year? A decade? ‘Forever’? I’d like to know.
Posted anonymously at 19:35, Tue 13 February 2024
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Whilst a vehicle has valid tax and MOT it cannot be classed as abandoned. Once these have lapse try and report it again.
Posted anonymously at 20:08, Tue 13 February 2024
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Expiry of Road and MOT are not listed on the Council website as criteria for determining whether a car has been abandoned. Indeed, it specifically excludes them from the list of criteria. Rightly so, because vehicles are often dumped with time to run on tax and/or MOT. So I want to know what criteria the Council does use. It’s a perfectly reasonable request.
Posted anonymously at 21:28, Tue 13 February 2024
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These are the reasons given on your website for treating a car as abandoned. Two of them clearly apply in this case. Please explain why you have decided to ignore that.
Posted anonymously at 22:00, Tue 13 February 2024
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An unsightly car parked up for a month is probably not enough for the council to state it as abandoned, especially if it's road legal and not causing an obstruction.
Posted anonymously at 07:26, Wed 14 February 2024
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Then why does the Council publish criteria saying that it is enough? And the car isn’t “road legal”. It’s missing a number plate and a wing mirror.
Posted anonymously at 08:19, Wed 14 February 2024
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Thank you for your updates. The website has guide lines for the general public. We have to take each case separately, on inspection an assessment has to be made and with this vehicle apart from the small amount of damage (which does not make it abandoned) it is fully road legal in all other aspects and has every right to park or be stored there. If this is a parking issue we cannot deal with that under under the Refuse Disposal (Amenity) Act 1978 which is the legislation our department enforce. This case is will now be closed. If there are any further developments please start a new case but as it stands at present we will not be dealing with this vehicle.
State changed to: No further action
Posted by Bath and North East Somerset Council at 08:52, Wed 14 February 2024
This report is now closed to updates from the public. You can make a new report in the same location.