Island Echo always welcome letters to the editor, which may of course not reflect the views of the publication and its staff.
Letter to the editor – Friday 12th May
“For over 2 months now, a vehicle has been parked on an Island road with no MOT.
“It’s very annoying when trying to find a space to park along this road when returning home from work.
Article continues below this advertisement “Does no one on the Island remove vehicles with no MOT? DVSA states it’s against the law and I have also sent an email to them.
“I have also sent an email to the Isle of Wight Council, who informed me that Island Roads are responsible for removing abandoned vehicles and that I should contact the Police to report a vehicle without MOT.
“I do not have time to call the Police. Why do I pay £2,000+ a year and fetch my own bone?
“A few days ago there was an article that featured a story about the Isle of Wight and I was shocked how many vehicles were dumped in undergrowth at Wroxall, hardly good for the climate.
“I am planning to move off the Island soon, it is not the Island it used to be, 3rd world countries are in better condition.”
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Regards,
Mr Smith
I would expect your near neighbours will hold onto their ex-Coronation bunting for that day, rather than throw it out now.
I contacted police via online form, and received a reply to say it’s nothing to do with them, and to inform the local council. Seems no one wants to take responsibility, and pass us from pillar to post. Makes a mockery of people honest people paying tax, mot and insurance. What’s the point if there’s no penalty!
Exactly right – it sends out a message that the law is irrelevant and can be ignored, this needs reversing now !
The council could perhaps set up a civil enforcement vehicle team with ANPR and if they identify an untaxed vehicle or one with no registered owner or insurance or road tax it could be removed to a pound and sold off to pay for the staff and operational costs of the officers in the team.
Many cars used in crime would no longer be available, and honest people would have more parking spaces.
There is No Law and Order on Island Roads.
Traffic wardens deal with vehicles that have no MOT or no road tax, chances are it’s not insured either, so if you see a warden then just tell him.
What do police do? What are they for? They don’t attend burglaries or criminal damage or address anti social behaviour. They don’t seem to patrol the streets. They aren’t interested in shop lifting. They don’t even turn up to sitting duck stuff like this. There’s no scary people to deal with, just arrange to have it towed away. Heck I’ll volunteer to do the paperwork for them if it’s beyond them
totally agree! What about the two cars in Yelfs car park with no tax or mot? Is the dvla police or council going to do anything about them?
Private property…
I think the problem with this road is the fact the one house has 7 vehicles..some of them very large and some of them rotting on trailers.When one of the vehicles moves they put a motorbike across the space so no one else can park there.
There are no vehicles on the part of the road in the picture without an MOT.
You don’t have time to call the police but you have time to write a rant on here. Good news, you’re leaving, one less car over here when you go. Try parking in London or New Delhi! Bye!!!
We have To he same problems on Queens road Shanklin sick of it blocking Driveway
White van driving around mot ran out 5 months ago never has seat belt always on phone. Idiot never gets pulled drives all over the island
I’ve reported a man in a van no mot no seat belt on phone all the time to the police. Apparently family member in police force this has been going on month now van used daily.
3 neighbours all reported same guy
Does not surprise me.
Keep reporting
It’s the same all over the Island , there are 3 cars without tax parked in a car park by the Premier in Binstead and are still driven day in day out
Yep seen them when visiting family
you can report it quickly and easily on the island roads website, it will take weeks to process due to the dvla and police taking up to 6 weeks to respond to requests which is ridiculous considering they can check in seconds on a computer or from a traffic car, report it and it will be dealt with eventually.
We also have two cars in our street, one is being driven every day with no TAX. The TAX was due January 31.
The other one no TAX or MOT, it was left down the road by a young lad. several people have reported both cars, and nothing gets done.
The Police don’t want to know, their reply for the un-taxed car was if we see it being driven we will stop it.
Are they all blind nearly 4 months of every day use with no TAX.
Get with the times you fool , we are skint so it’s easier to avoid paying
You don’t have time to call police but you write a 7 paragraph letter and 2x emails.
Have a good life on the mainland and happy parking over there.
I’ve had a similar problem with a car parked outside my house. No tax or MOT.
I contacted the council and they took the details. 3 months later it is still there.
Sadly now deserving of the name Pyle of shyte.
Same has happened here too. The police aren’t interested it seems even though you report. Put a nice BIG note on it, or if you’re more inclined, it has not tax or mot and probably no insurance, so do what you like to it. A tube of super glue goes a long way, and tyres are expensive.
Lol…..hasn’t got time to call the police, yet has time to email the council and the local paper!
I’m not unsympathetic but this sounds like a Victor Meldrew who simply revels in moaning rather than wanting any actual results
The Police will only get involved if the vehicle is seen being used and the Council / Island Roads will contact the owner and if they reply confirming ownership it will not be classed as abandoned so it will stay there.
DVLA will tell you they have a contractor that covers the area but on past experience it could take a while.
Example After many emails and photographs sent it took nearly 3 years to get a vehicle moved from a main road in Cowes.
Oh get a life. Please.
Just notify the police if you are actually that bothered. You say you are too busy to contact the police but not too busy to contact the council. Weird. Go through the correct channel and the get the desired outcome.
The Law could not catch a cold, yet alone remove a vehicle with NO MOT
The Council directs persons to the Law and they do the same likewise
SO NOTHING EVER GETS DONE!
Refuse Disposal (Amenity) Act 1978, S3
Thank me later
Don’t have time to call the police bit here you are sat down writing a letter to a rag that achieves exactly nothing
The vehicle is parked along Great Preston Road, gets used on a regular
basis.
IW Council are Useless and clueless, they could not organise a p@ss up in a Brewery.
I can only imagine that the so called persons who are ruining / running the Island are
not sure of the rules themselves.
Must be a Tory thing, remember when Bojo had the country in Lockdown,
but he thought it was ok to party.
It’s a joke really pay my tax and insurance mot the tax man the lot and the island is like a big car park to many cars and hundreds with no right to be on the road why do I bother and for island roads another joke
It’s not worth the increase in blood pressure really. It’s obviously a useless system of reporting. But there are many of those involving public services. Either do something yourself or forget about it.
Cars, cars, cars. Making your tiny island depend on cars will obviously grow number of people with cars, both those who pay the tax and those who don’t, I’m not sure why we are surprised here.
Has the % of untaxed vehicles actually changed or is that just increase in absolute values now that we use cars even to drive kids to school unlike in the old times?
5% of 5000 cars 30 years ago vs 5% of 15000 cars now will obviously make a visible difference.
‘I am planning to move off the Island soon, it is not the Island it used to be’
Well, good luck with that because, guess what, it’s 10x worse on the mainland.
Not if you move to a quaint village in Sussex
The only way to stop persons parking illegally on Roads with NO Mot
is to charge permit parking.
Persons who do not pay for an Mot will obviously not pay to park
a vehicle.
Then Council enforcement officers or Plod could fine them or Tow them away.
Why should legal motorists suffer due to illegal motorists taking away our parking spaces.
Car not taxed or insured, call the Police!! What a busy life “Mr Smith” must have if he has no time to make an important phone call!!!!
I rang the Police over 20 years ago to report a dangerous rave taking place in
Sandown.
Cars were driving wrecklessly at speed nr bungalows
Police did not show up.
I lost faith in them after that so maybe that is why some people don’t bother
calling them.
From what one reads in the news thesedays they hardly showed up anywhere
around the country.
Plenty of them at the Coronation though and at Downing Street.
You horrible grass how are you still walking
Island Roads will only remove an untaxed/no MOT/abandoned vehicle if it is considered to be dangerous i.e. has broken windows or bits of metal sticking out, that could cause harm to anyone of any age. If vehicles are left on public roads like this, they will be removed very quickly.
There is your answer. Smash the windows and stick some bits of metal on it.
I lived in a road in Ryde that was… shall we say, tight for parking – that had this exact problem. Three vehicles with no Tax, MOT or Insurance abandoned.
After trying all of the correct avenues to get this resolved and hitting brick walls, I did find a solution.
What you need to do, is hook them up a truck and pull them out into the road. Don’t pull them completely out of the space, but enough to impede passing traffic… a good soft of 45 degrees does the trick.
The police WILL then move them as they are causing an obstruction to a live carriageway.
Bit of a sh*tty thing to be doing, but lets be honest, when doing the right thing gets you nowhere… what else can you do?