Near £3k fine for London man found guilty of dumping car on A303 in Wiltshire
The car was left at the roadside last year with note saying it had broken down
A man from London who dumped a car on the A303 in Wiltshire has been fined nearly £3,000 after a successful prosecution by Wiltshire Council.
The car, a Skoda Octavia, was abandoned near Cholderton in July 2024, with officers tracing it's ownership to Jeremy Lopes of Park Avenue in Southall via a DVLA check.
He failed to pay a £200 fixed penalty notice (FPN) leading to a court prosecution, which he failed to attend.
He was fined £2,869 in his absence, including costs and compensation.
Council officers responded to reports of the car being left at the roadside last summer, finding a note stating the vehicle had broken down along with a phone number.
It was also found to be untaxed.
Officers called the number, with the man who answered and identified himself as the owner saying the car would be moved within 24 hours.
But two days later, the car was still at the roadside, with no tax and evidence of rusty brake discs. A seven-day abandoned vehicle removal notice was issued and posted on the windscreen of the vehicle.
This led officers to conduct a DVLA check, identifying Mr Lopes as the owner and leading to the eventual prosecution.
A man from Warminster has also been hit with a £200 FPN after abandoning a Chevrolet Aveo on Portway Lane in Warminster.
The vehicle was untaxed and had no MOT. The owner also failed to comply with the seven-day removal notice placed on the vehicle.
It was later removed and disposed of by Wiltshire Council. As FPNs are not a conviction in court, the resident involved cannot be named.
Officers must follow an assessment process for abandoned vehicles. This includes determining if the vehicle has one of a combination of factors such as being untaxed, no valid MOT certificate, flat tyres, being un-roadworthy and stationary for a period of time. As no removal was made by the owner within the required timescale, the vehicle was removed by the council and taken to a secure compound.
Cllr Martin Smith, Cabinet Member for Highways, Streetscene and Flooding said: "Our Environmental Enforcement Officers investigate every report of abandoned vehicles. Most are removed by the owners when we contact them, but for those that have been truly abandoned, we will seek to issue fixed penalties or prosecute to protect our public highways or land.
"We want to take responsibility for the environment and protect Wiltshire's beautiful countryside and scenic views. Abandoning a vehicle is not only a criminal offence, but it can also attract vandalism and rubbish, potentially having a negative effect on our visitors and residents. There is also a cost to Wiltshire taxpayers for having it removed. I hope this case shows that we take the abandoning of vehicles seriously and will act to deter people from considering doing this in the future."