I've been walking the dog on a new route in the mornings for the last week or so and I've noticed a house that has 15 - 20 cars parked in the garden or on the street in front of the house. The house sits on it's own in the street with open land for about 100 feet either side so it's fair to assume the cars belong to that house.
There are a lot of nice cars; mercs, jags & audis. On closer inspection this morning none of them have road tax. Now for the ones parked in the garden, they could be declared SORN, but for the ones on the road if they're declared SORN, he's breaking the law. The road is a public road in a residential area.
Judging by the amount of cars the owner is probably involved in the motor trade. Quite a few of the cars have tax discs that expired back in 2007, some are sitting with flat tires and clearly haven't moved in a while. If he's a motor trader, does that make a difference to the road tax situation (there are no trade plates on any vehicle).
So would you be a good citizen and report them, or just ignore it as it's none of your business?
I would, shop 'em!
No difference between sorn for motor trade and private.
They get automatically sent a fine for not sorning like the rest of us. If the fact they're parked on the road rather than off-road upsets you that much, sure, go for it. I can't say I could give a monkeys.
Does it really bother you? Do you want to cause someone grief and aggro when they have done nothing against you?
I'd leave it, no big deal. The village I grew up in was like that, and it was just life, perfectly normal, not tainted by the big brother brush that hits people nowadays with it's rules and rising costs/fines.
NIMBY
NIMBY
No actually. It's a fair bit away from where i stay.
Does it really bother you? Do you want to cause someone grief and aggro when they have done nothing against you?
Yeah that's true, but then again, you and I are contributing and other people think they can just not bother.
If it was a person that was fraudulently claiming benefits while you were working hard and paying your taxes...
Yes but the thing here is that they are not out and about causing wear and tear on the roads...so you're not paying anything for them to park the cars on the road in front of their house. I'm sure as a small business he is struggling to pay the bills and keep on top of all of his legal obligations as it is.
Again we are here, picking on the small man, you don't know his circumstances. perhaps you could find a better cause to fight?
Or make your own decision based on your morality instead of asking strangers on the internet
Why do you think its right to shop this person? What would you feel like if you got a brown envelope drop on your mat?
Besides, im sure you don't clear up every last drop of dog waste when you go on a walk. What if someone shopped you for that?
It may be a private road so they may not be on the 'road' as such. If hes a dealer they wont be registerd to him, just grass him up anyway!
[i]What would you feel like if you got a brown envelope drop on your mat? [/i]
I pay my road tax.
Besides, chances are, not tax means no insurance and no MOT.
fair point sofa but why should I pay if he doesn't? Would you do the same if you found someone was uninsured?
GRASS 😈
I would say, are the cars blocking the road, are they dangerously parked, etc. If they are just on the road and not causing a problem leave it, if they are blocking the road or pavement and never move then maybe.
if it isn't hurting anyone then I would leave be, as he could be a small motor trader (who are currently a bit buggered) and the fines could send him under and cost him and his employee's their jobs.
[i] Would you do the same if you found someone was uninsured? [/i]
I guess it would depend if the car was being driven or not. If it's parked up with flat tyres I wouldn't be too worried.
As long as the cars are not being driven then what harm is it doing? If they're being driven on the road then that's a different matter.
Got a new van through work last wednesday. brand new, delivered by dealer. No tax disk. boss says, not to worry as it IS taxed. Disc is in the post. Eventually turned up today... bet by the time I get out to it this evening (parked mile from office) I'll have a ticket!!
would say, are the cars blocking the road, are they dangerously parked, etc
Yes, they're abandoned everywhere and although some have been sitting for a while, others are parked in different places each day so they're being driven at some point.
It comes down to the old stupid attidtude of "It's not fair, I want something that someone else has got".
Just forget it! Never mind insurance this, benefit cheat that...life is a lot simpler than some people try to make it.
You say the cars are parked all over the place and dangerously... are you being serious? It sounds like exaggeration to me. What if you inadvertently had one tyre with tread below 4mm. Someone walking past noticed it and told DVLA, who then hit you with all the fines/points under the sun. How would you feel about that person? Would you sit there and understand how you affected their life and they had every right to grass you in, or would you in fact think "my my what a sad little person that is"?
Reminds me of a couple of years back when myself and two neighbours had fully taxed cars parked in the lane behind the gardens but had also simultaneously forgotten to stick our new tax discs in the window. Some "Good Samaritan" obviously took offence to this and we all received nice fines from the police for our absent-mindedness.
It sounds like exaggeration to me.
At what point have I exaggerated anything?
I've been very careful to only state facts.
At no point did I indicate my preference to report or ignore.
But in true STW style the usual suspects jump to conclusions...
@ murdoch and Jose -
why have laws if there are acceptable criteria that make it ok to not participate?
that train of thought has serious consequences...
[i]Got a new van through work last wednesday. brand new, delivered by dealer. No tax disk. boss says, not to worry as it IS taxed. Disc is in the post. Eventually turned up today... bet by the time I get out to it this evening (parked mile from office) I'll have a ticket!!
[/i]
If you have paid for your road tax, on line for example you won't get a ticket even if it's not displayed because they can do an immdediate on-line check.
why have laws if there are acceptable criteria that make it ok to not participate?that train of thought has serious consequences...
Unfortunately there are people who think the rules don't apply to them
I'd be tempted to shop him.
How are they parked dangerously? Do they bite children? Trip up joggers?
yep.
if the cars properly registered, he'd have got fined anyway.
if its not, its most likely not in a suitable condition to be on the road.
[i]why have laws if there are acceptable criteria that make it ok to not participate?
that train of thought has serious consequences... [/i]
I guess it depends on the law. I'd hazard a guess that most people on here choose not to obey the law on fitting pedal reflectors.
"I guess it depends on the law. I'd hazard a guess that most people on here choose not to obey the law on fitting pedal reflectors. "
And thus you should be willing to accept the consequences.
rights and responsibilities....
Shop'em. If I have to pay a tax i can barely afford i dont see why someone with X many cars should openly flaunt it.
If its legit it isnt going to be a problem for them, if it isnt then they will get the fine they deserve.
david russell... accept consequences when the authorities find you breaking the law yes.
NOT when your neighbour phones the police to say you cycle without pedal reflectors and they come knocking.
The issue with this thread isn't the law anyway, it's about one man's decision whether to put a neighbour in trouble or not. Right or wrong, acceptable or not. It comes down to whether you have a basic desire to see black and white upheld at cost to fellow people, or whether you have a basic instinct of caring for and to look after other people around you. No rationale really, I am the latter, I don't like seeing hurt to anyone regardless of the circumstances.
How are they parked dangerously? Do they bite children? Trip up joggers?
They're partially blocking the road/ parked on verges/ pavements/ parked at all angles.
And thus you should be willing to accept the consequences.
Crap. I'm worried now. What are the consequences?
Maybe better to phone the council re the blocking of pavements.
Must be a troll, no one in the real world is this anal, appart from on the daily mail message board.
If you have paid for your road tax, on line for example you won't get a ticket even if it's not displayed because they can do an immdediate on-line check.
You can't get a ticket for not having tax but you can get one for not displaying your disc, as I found out!
[i]josemctavish - Member
If you have paid for your road tax, on line for example you won't get a ticket even if it's not displayed because they can do an immdediate on-line check.
You can't get a ticket for not having tax but you can get one for not displaying your disc, as I found out!
[/i]
This is what I'm trying to tell my girlfriend who always leaves it until 2 days before the end of the month to apply online for hers. Virtually had to drag her to the post office this week to do it in person!
Shop him. It seems theres one law for one and one for another.....
Have you never broken the law?
To go back to my original post, I never asked for advice on what I should do, I asked what you would do. 😉
I'd be surprised if the neighbours hadn't reported it. The house itself is a run down shithole, the cars that have been abandoned for a while are dirty and a general eyesore. It's a very nice, desireable area with luxury new build flats on on side, access to which is restricted by all these cars, and some very nice tenement flats on the other side.
To those who said to ignore it, a genuine question. If you saw someone committing a crime, say breaking into a car, but it wasn't your own or it didn't affect you, would you be equally disinterested in reporting it?
If the cars are causing an obstruction and putting other people in difficulty in negotiating the street or pavement, and I was one of those people, then I might consider getting involved, probably by visiting the house and asking nicely first for the cars to be moved. If it was someone else's neighbourhood, I'd leave it to them to decide what to do. The tax bit is not the biggest issue, in my opinion, it would be the inconvenience, and or risk of the cars being parked randomly/obstructively on a public road.