East Yorkshire man left with hefty court bill after car left abandoned for months

The gold Aixam was abandoned in Kingsway, Goole
-Credit:East Riding Of Yorkshire Council


An East Yorkshire man has been ordered to pay out more than £1,600 after leaving a car abandoned on a street for months.

Antony Smith, of Kingsway, Goole, was charged with abandoning a motor vehicle after he left a gold Aixam car parked in the town.

The case was presented at Beverley Magistrates' Court on Wednesday (8 January). Smith was absent from the proceedings and the case was proven in his absence.

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Smith received a fine of £660 and was instructed to pay £729 in costs along with a £264 victim surcharge. The council removed the car and it was subsequently destroyed when Smith failed to claim it.

The court heard that the car, initially registered in 2004, was first reported as abandoned to East Riding Of Yorkshire Council in March 2024.

Streetscene enforcement officers from the authority made numerous attempts to contact the owner, requesting him to relocate the car to private land, but to no avail.

Smith was offered the opportunity to settle a £200 fixed penalty for the offence by the council, but he neglected to pay.

During the investigation, the car's tax and MOT expired and it sustained damage. The council removed the vehicle in August 2024 and the case was brought to court.

Carl Skelton, director of streetscene services at East Riding of Yorkshire Council, said: "Abandoning any vehicle can cause a nuisance to residents or become a hazard to safety. In most cases we can resolve these situations by contacting the owners and asking them to remove their vehicles, but in cases like this we have to intervene."

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The council investigates apparently abandoned vehicles on both public and private land.

Their officers delve into each case, and will try to reach out to the registered owners to determine if the vehicles are genuinely abandoned.

Following their inquiries, the majority of owners move their vehicles, leaving only a handful for the council to dispose of themselves.

Vehicle owners might find themselves slapped with a £200 fixed penalty notice if found in violation of the rules.

For more information or to report an abandoned vehicle visit www.eastriding.gov.uk/abandonedvehicles