Stafford man fined £1700 after abandoning car in the town
The car was left for weeks, with flat tyres and a broken wing mirror
Last updated 3rd Sep 2021
A Stafford man has been told to pay more than £1700 by a court after leaving his car abandoned in the town.
Magistrates were told the silver Mercedes was left for weeks with flat tyres and broken wing mirror at a local car park - before being removed by Stafford Borough Council.
The car was traced to owner Gareth Lewis of Telegraph Street, Stafford.
Mr Lewis, aged 60, denied abandoning the vehicle but was found guilty after a trial last week. He was fined £166 and ordered to pay costs of £1510 and a victim surcharge of £34.
The court heard Mr Lewis had earlier been served with a fixed penalty notice for the offence but had not paid it.
The council received a complaint about the Mercedes being abandoned at the Austin Friars car park in Stafford on 17 December last year. It was still there in mid-January despite notices on the vehicle instructing the owner to remove it.
The defendant said the car was not abandoned and he had potential buyers lined up but had been unable to sell it due to Covid.
The Chairman of the Magistrates in Cannock described Mr Lewis’ evidence as ‘haphazard.’
Following the case, Councillor Jonathan Price, Cabinet Member for Environment, said abandoning vehicles was not only a blight on an area, it could also lead to environmental damage.
He said: “I hope this case serves as a warning that people must dispose of their vehicles properly. Leaving them abandoned can attract antisocial behaviour, are a blot on a neighbourhood, and can cause pollution with deterioration and leaks which could be harmful to people and animals.
“The irony is that it would have been much cheaper for this man to have paid someone to get rid of the vehicle legally than to wind up before the magistrates, be hit with a bill for more than £1700, and have a criminal record to his name.”