Abandoned cars are becoming an ever-growing problem on the Isle of Wight with over 30 reports of such vehicles currently logged with the Isle of Wight Council and Island Roads – but little seems to be taking place to rid the Island’s streets of these uninsured and potentially dangerous vehicles.
Residents living in Clarendon Road, Shanklin have been blighted by an abandoned vehicle each and every day since it was dumped on the side road back in November last year. Nearly 3 months later and the car, a Ford Fiesta, remains in situ with a flat tyre, damaged body work and several notices affixed to its windscreen.
Despite the Fiesta rolling down the hill and nearly colliding with another vehicle in December, being parked on double yellow lines and being registered as ‘SORN’ – a Statutory Off Road Notification – the Isle of Wight Council are yet to remove the tatty car from the public highway.
On 18th December it is said someone lent through the window of the car and released the handbrake, endangering the public and property. The vehicle was pushed back up the hill slightly and then on 19th December – 2 months ago – a ‘Police Warning Notice’ for tax offences was placed on the windscreen, but still the vehicle remains.
A concerned local resident has told Island Echo:
“I have complained several times to the Council and to Island Roads but I keep getting stonewalled with ‘it’s being dealt with’. This is a potentially hazardous situation should anybody else attempt to release the handbrake or something equally as stupid.
“I’ve tried getting the ball in motion for this to be removed. This is now unacceptable. What am I paying my taxes for?”
Although the Council say they are working with the DVLA and Police with regards to improving their partnership working processes to deal with such vehicles, the length of time it is taking for illegal vehicles to be removed from the public highway is evidently too long.
In total there are 33 reports of abandoned vehicles across the Isle of Wight, but it is said only 14% of these reports result in those vehicles being removed.
A spokesperson for the Isle of Wight Council Highways PFI Contracts Team has told Island Echo:
“This vehicle was originally reported to us on the 1st December 2016 and Island Roads investigated the vehicle at that time and submitted its report on the vehicle to the Council . At the time of the report the vehicle had a Statutory Off Road Notification (known as a SORN) and valid MOT. The condition of the vehicle also appeared to be acceptable and the veh09icle had we understood only been parked in that location for around 2 days. Therefore we considered that the vehicle was not abandoned.
“This vehicle did not appear upon review of the report to satisfy at that time the criterion for abandonment. It is recognised that the vehicle was poorly parked and did not have valid tax and as such it could be described more as a nuisance vehicle.
Following Island Echo’s enquiry, Island Roads, on behalf of the Isle of Wight Council, have since revisited Clarendon Road and have confirmed that the vehicle is now considered abandoned:
“Given that the vehicle appears to have been parked at Clarendon Road without the owner appearing to return to the vehicle over that 2 month period we are now undertaking investigations to locate the registered keeper and to have a notice affixed to the vehicle that it has been considered as abandoned. If the registered keeper does not contact us to assert ownership or move the vehicle then the vehicle will be removed by Island Roads”.
Speaking about abandoned vehicles in general and the process behind removing them from the highway, the spokesperson continued:
“The decision as to whether a vehicle is abandoned or not depends on a number of factors but principally we look at the condition of the vehicle and also the length of time that it has been in situ. We also consider the tax status of a vehicle as part of our assessment but if a vehicle simply has no tax then it is not necessarily abandoned”.
A Renault Clio has been abandoned on a grass verse at Hale Common for almost 10 weeks and just a few miles away a Vauxhall Astra van has been apparently dumped on Long Lane, Newport.
Do you know of a suspected abandoned car? Comment below…
