Bike Impounded

Hi,

I haven't been on in a while as I've only just put my bike back on the road after a fairly lengthy break. The running costs were a bit prohibitive and I need to eat! The bike was SORNed during this period.

Anyway, today I returned to the bike bay behind Tott. Ct Rd to find my bike had vanished. I called the council in the first instance and discovered it had been impounded by Camden council for no tax.

However, the bike is taxed. In fact, I taxed it yesterday. I hadn't displayed the disc due to the fairly likely possibility of it getting stolen. I have the remnants of the last tax holder to support this theory!

I understand the law about it being necessary to display the tax disc on the vehicle but does anyone have any experience with this kind of situation?
Are there any mitigating circumstances that might help me avoid getting hit with the £200 fee plus £40 (office closed when I discovered it was gone so overnight fee will undoubtedly be applicable).

Failing that any advice on how to deal with the staff that might leave me with an ounce of dignity?

Lastly, how do the lift the bike? I'm concerned that a) alarm will have flattened brand-new battery and b) They've bend/scratched/tipped my bike in some way.

Any advice welcomed. Gutted. Very bad timing for me financially.

Many thanks,

Jason

Originally Posted by greeno76

Hi,

I haven't been on in a while as I've only just put my bike back on the road after a fairly lengthy break. The running costs were a bit prohibitive and I need to eat! The bike was SORNed during this period.

Anyway, today I returned to the bike bay behind Tott. Ct Rd to find my bike had vanished. I called the council in the first instance and discovered it had been impounded by Camden council for no tax.

However, the bike is taxed. In fact, I taxed it yesterday. I hadn't displayed the disc due to the fairly likely possibility of it getting stolen. I have the remnants of the last tax holder to support this theory!

I understand the law about it being necessary to display the tax disc on the vehicle but does anyone have any experience with this kind of situation?
Are there any mitigating circumstances that might help me avoid getting hit with the £200 fee plus £40 (office closed when I discovered it was gone so overnight fee will undoubtedly be applicable).

Failing that any advice on how to deal with the staff that might leave me with an ounce of dignity?

Lastly, how do the lift the bike? I'm concerned that a) alarm will have flattened brand-new battery and b) They've bend/scratched/tipped my bike in some way.

Any advice welcomed. Gutted. Very bad timing for me financially.

Many thanks,

Jason

Whilst it may be a bummer, ultimately you were in the wrong, breaking the law - and should IMHO just accept your punishment (and buy a better tax disc holder next time!).

Sorry, I know that isn't what you want to hear, but it is the truth.

Also - before anyone jumps to any conclusions about me, I am not a self-righteous prig - I have also ridden previous bikes of mine without the disc on display, but if I'd been caught, I would only have had myself to blame.

[Bluepete]

If you only taxed it yesterday, the bike may have been lifted before that. When did you last see it? They won't lift a bike just for failing to display, they check with the DVLA database before getting authority to remove.

Now Pete's shown up:

Just for the benefit of the tape, I'd like to point out that when I said I'd ridden bikes without tax displayed, I was lying

Originally Posted by Bluepete

If you only taxed it yesterday, the bike may have been lifted before that. When did you last see it? They won't lift a bike just for failing to display, they check with the DVLA database before getting authority to remove.

Hi, thanks for your reply. The bike was removed today. I rode it to work and parked in a bay on Morwell Street.

I wonder whether the database will have been updated since I taxed it yesterday at the Post Office?

I suspect that they can still clean me out, though. They have my bike, afterall...

Will common-sense prevail?

Jason

Explain to them that you know it was wrong, but you indeed had a valid tax and just didn't have it displayed because you've had tax disks stolen in the past.

The best you can hope for is leniency..if you really want to fight it you're best of just paying outright to get your bike back, then doing all the silly paperwork side of things, since if you were to make it more difficult for them, they'll undoubtedly make it more difficult for you...

Gl anyway.

[Biker Biggles]

I assume you have the tax disc?If so produce it and state that you keep it on your person to avoid theft.Providing it was valid at the time they lifted your bike some common sense might prevail.I know I live in hope in our lunatics running the asylum country but good luck.

The fine is sadly inevitable. Naughty me for not displaying it.

I'm a law-abiding kind of person. You live and learn.

Can you recommend a thieving scum-proof tax-disc holder?

-Jason

[tigersaw]

Or you were indeed displaying it, someone must have stolen it from your bike that very same day.

Ask to speak to the most senior person you can. Then ask under which circumstances a vehicle may be impounded.

They will probably say if it is abandoned or untaxed.

Then ask what the penalty is for failing to display a valid tax disc. They may not know so remind them that it is a fixed penalty of £60.

Then ask them to release your vehicle as it has been impounded unnecessarily.

When they say it was impounded because it was untaxed you can produce the tax disc and receipt showing that it had a valid tax disc at the time it was lifted.

Therefore it was impounded unnecessarily.

They may want to push the matter, saying you didn't display a valid disc. But as you have already said the penalty for that is a £60 fine not impounding.

They will make excuses like the system said it wasn't taxed but you have evidence that clearly states it was. That particular problem is with the system not you.

You may want to ask them to check the system again. This may show the date that the bike was taxed as it is likely to have been updated since.

Don't bend over an pay the release fee - fight it out.

You will however be admitting to failure to display and be liable for a £60 fine.

But that's the lesser of two evils.