Volkswagen Transporter van racks up record £32,000 in unpaid parking fines because it’s ‘too big’ to tow away
A VAN owner has managed to rack up a whopping £32,000 worth of unpaid parking fines, believed to be a UK record.
And the local council claims it continued to slap penalty notices on the vehicle because it was simply "too big" to tow away.
The white Volkswagen Transporter has been issued with 246 fixed penalty notices since July 2017.
Regularly parked illegally in streets around Tower Hamlets, a council spokesperson said the van was "too large for removal trucks", meaning the local authority had no choice but to continue issuing parking tickets.
Each fine is worth around £130, with the council offering a 50 per cent discount if paid within two weeks.
Unfortunately, Tower Hamlets Council has been unable to track the owner of the vehicle, forcing them to write off some £10,000 worth of older fines.
“As the owner has repeatedly failed to pay penalty charge notices for past offences, the vehicle was immediately removed and taken to the car pound using a specially commissioned tow truck.
“It will be held securely for 35 days or until the owner is able to provide the paperwork to prove the vehicle belongs to them. If it is not claimed within the time, it will be destroyed.”
The previous unofficial record for the most parking fines issued to one motorist was held by Scottish driver Carly Mackie.
She was ordered to pay £24,500 in unpaid fines after wrongly believing they were illegally issued and ignoring them.
In October 2017, Mackie claimed the charges had sent her bankrupt.