Camper van sit-in over disputed tax claims
Wednesday 16th September 2009, 11:06AM BST.
Residents on a Shrewsbury estate whose cars were clamped by DVLA bosses have had their vehicles towed away – but one man is planning to spend a second night in his camper van to stop officials getting their hands on it.
David Evans visited the DVLA in Harlescott earlier today after a tow truck turned up to try to take his Commer van from his drive.
Mr Evans, from Pool Rise, Springfield, met with staff after claiming that his vehicle was exempt from tax because it was built in 1973.
Mr Evans was given a telephone number to call and told if his vehicle was registered prior to January 1, it would be exempt. But he was told it was registered in October and he has now vowed to spend a second night inside the van to stop it being removed.
Mr Evans had spent his birthday yesterday in his camper van and also spent part of today inside with a car parked behind it with its tyres deflated to prevent it being taken away.
His van has been clamped for being untaxed and parked on the public highway. But he – and other residents who have been targeted – dispute the claim because they say the patch of land in front of their properties is their driveway.
Officials turned up at about 7.20am and towed two cars away from the street and slowed down past Mr Evans’s camper van but saw he was inside.
Mr Evans, 54, said: “They came over and looked at me and the guy from the tow truck said: ‘There’s 13 to take’. I told him it was tax exempt, he took a picture and got back in his truck.
“All I want is for them to admit they are wrong and take the clamp off.”
A spokeswoman from the DVLA today said: “DVLA’s wheelclamping contractor NSL Services Group Limited established that the area on which the clamped vehicles were parked is maintained at the public expense and therefore does not form any part of the individuals’ property.”
The drama unfolded as fears were today raised nationally that taxed but uninsured cars left on a public road could be clamped or seized under new laws which are being unveiled by the Government – potentially meaning law-abiding motorists could be targeted.
By Emma Kasprzak and John Kirk
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Where these cars are parked does belong to the council it is only an access to peoples property and technically they should not park cars taxed or not on them.Your property begins at the boundary fence so stop complaining pay up or loose your vehicle the laws the law and its about time the DVLA did something about it ..
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They should pay tax like everyone else! Can I not bother paying any tax on my car and park it on my road outside my house and claim its on my driveway – I don’t think so! The clampers have done right, there are far too many cars on this road without tax which in turn endangers law abiding peoples lives!
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I have the impression from the photographs that Mr Evans and neigbhours may well be in the wrong! …… municipalities usually measure from the centre of the road a distance which is used to accomadate further development and even if your driveway crosses it! … it ain’t your property! ….. Mr Evans would do well to consult his deed of ownership and ascertain exactly where his property line is before bucking the powers that be! …….
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If, indeed, his van does no longer need tax disc and is otherwise legal – perhaps a no-win-no-fee solictor could have legal words with the local DVLA manager and – at minimum extract an apology. Aside from that, the locals should get together and demand a halt to this until clarification of their drives situation. If they dont own them then the highways commision or whatever they’re called must have some responsiblitiy to the upkeep of them. It maybe that, the ‘owners’ of these driveways having failed to do anything about it for so many years are acting beyond reason unless they have given decent amounts of prior warning. Are the DVLA using the parking attendants points-per-week scall and behind or something .. hitting easy targets like this.. its a bit weak and anti-social behaviour towards citizens who are going about their business as they have always in the last tens of years.
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This story concerns me greatly. We seem to have people who live on ex local authority estates being unfairly hounded and treated, unlike those who live on private estates who seem to be free to do as they wish. Yes these people should not leave un taxed /mot, insured vehicles on the public highway however on the way to work this morning i saw the same un taxed cars, vans etc ( for sale or just left there)on the side of the public highway , outside peoples private houses but on the highway, in lay bys, some have been there for weeks the police have past them and yet know action . But it seems lets go on to an ex local authority estate and knick them instead as alas many of these poor chaps will not be in a position to get a lawyer and sue us .
Come on agencys clamp down on the lot not just the easy targets . I will now on the way home take all the details of these cars vans etc and report them to the relevent authorities and let see what happens jack all i expect i think it may have somehting to do wth lazy agencys.
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‘Boris’ writes : I will now on the way home take all the details of these cars vans etc and report them to the relevent authorities and let see what happens jack all i expect i think it may have somehting to do wth lazy agencys.
Somebody in Springfield probably thought the same thing and now action has been taken by the authorities they’re being accused by the likes of you of ‘hounding residents’.
People complain ‘it’s not fair’ when they see people parking or driving untaxed cars on the road, yet when action is taking against the evaders, the authorities are criticised again.
When the authorities are seen to be taking action they’re accused of hounding, when they don’t they’re ‘lazy’.
God bless the Great British Moan, eh?
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this is a great idea. There are too many cars on the roads. Let’s do this more often and get rid of some of them.
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I’ve just had a look on DVLA’s website (I know – sad person). But it says that even if it’s an old vehicle and is not subject to tax it still has to be registered every year and then you get a ‘free’ tax disc that you must display. I don’t think they would have clamped it if Mr Evans had complied with the regulations.
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The law on historic vehicles is perfectly clear.
It must have been manufactured prior to the 1st Jan 1973. In other words made in 1972 or earlier.
http://www.direct.gov.uk/prod_consum_dg/groups/dg_digitalassets/@dg/@en/@motor/documents/digitalasset/dg_065254.pdf
And even then he would still have had to apply for his free tax disc which would also require the vehicle to be insured.
The only way you can keep ANY vehicle in a non road legal state is on private land. And even then you are required to declare it as such with a Statutory Off the Roads notification (SORN) to the DVLA every 12 months. All this is quite clear on the road fund licence renewal form. We all get the same one Mr Evans !
He is clearly in the wrong and should get over it !
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It would appear that the old saying , ” a little knowledge is dnagerous” The DVLA website tells you exactly what the law is, and maybe people who own campervans should check up !! Im glad they are towing cars away, Im sure the moaners would have something to say it the cars were parked outside their houses !
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To annom, shame you can’t bring yourself to give some indication as to who you are.
Most of the residents feel this was a “tip off” anyway, it was probably you.
As for leaving vehicles parked on a road with no tax then I agree, however, put your specs on and read further; those concerned genuinely did not know that their driveways they have paid for did form part of a highway.
Whatever happened to the days when neighbourhoods were a community and people looked out for each other. Its certainly not the case in Pool Rise.
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CONGRATULATIONS TO THE PUBLIC MR EVANS WON AND HAD THE CLAMP REMOVED BY THE DVLA FOR FREE.GO AND SPEND YOUR BIRTHDAY MONEY AND ENJOY YOUR SELF.
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Puzzled ,I am not moaning just pointing out there seems to be a little bit of one law for one and one for another. I would assume the likes of severnside houseing who own some of the homes on this estate are working with the dvla etc and a few other agency are invloved. Take a walk around some private estates, lay bys, road sides and you will see a flouting of the law from planning rules to un taxed cars etc now i say this is where the agencys are lazy they have had to work with houseing associations etc to get anything done or they would do not a lot i am afraid. As for reporting the cars i have seen i have reported 19 in total. Ok thank you sir and just to make sure i have done it on line also . Which is all a waste of time i reported a van on the road side 9 times over 6 weeks and nothing was done (lazy and easy targets )
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“Most of the residents feel this was a “tip off” anyway” – What if is was?
The likelyhood is that whoever contacted the DVLA has probably used their hard-earned money to tax their vehicle and may well feel aggrieved that other people do not.
There is a strong correlation that untaxed vehicles are also uninsured, they should think themselves lucky the local police are too busy doing their usual self backslapping to bother prosecuting the miscreants.
The belief that the vehicles were parked off the highway is not a defence it is mitigation, what’s the saying ‘Ignorance holds no defence in law’?
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Just to pick on a point in the Star’s reporting, they say:
“The drama unfolded as fears were today raised nationally that taxed but uninsured cars left on a public road could be clamped or seized under new laws which are being unveiled by the Government – potentially meaning law-abiding motorists could be targeted.”
Sorry, but if the “new laws” say you have to have insurance to park on a public road, then how can anyone who falls foul of this be a “law-abiding citizen”?
Think about it.
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If what pickle says is true this sets a precedent which may well affect others as well as those who have fallen foul in the past,could well be they will now be beating the door at Swansea down.
What was it that Orwell wrote ” All animals are equal but some are more equal than others”?
I’m truly undecided whether I should be happy for the David/Goliath victory or sad because a minor news story has caused a Govt Dept to cave in.
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