HAVE you got an abandoned vehicle in your road?

A car that has received multiple tickets in Dorchester has highlighted a blight on regional roads.

Dorset Council has acknowledged it could take months to get them removed.

The pictured vehicle has been left in a limited parking zone close to Dorchester Middle School for several months, with repeated fixed penalty notices accumulating.

In Maiden Newton a high-end Range Rover has not been moved for almost a year while at Poundbury there are several campervans which, although having current road tax and MoT tests, have not been moved throughout the winter months.

There are likely to be other examples across the county : if your road is affected, let us know.

Dorset Council admit the process to deal with vehicles can be lengthy.

A spokesman said: "When a vehicle has tax and MOT, it is not classed as abandoned. However, we do make enquiries with the Police, including checking for the welfare of the owner in case a vehicle has been left due to ill health etc. This process takes a period of time but when a vehicle is determined as abandoned, our Waste Services team will arrange to remove it.

"Parking restrictions are in place to ensure the highway is clear and safe for all users, including the emergency services, so PCNs (parking tickets) are issued for all cars parked illegally. If a PCN is not paid, or is unsuccessfully challenged, we can pursue the debt via warrant obtained from the Traffic Enforcement Centre at Northampton County Court. Recovery of the debt will then be completed by an enforcement agent (previously known as a bailiff) on Dorset Council's behalf."

Four years ago the problems appeared so widespread that Dorset Council carried out an operation to target untaxed vehicles in the Lynch Lane area of Weymouth with similar operations in Bridport, Portland and Swanage.

The council typically gets more than 1,000 legitimate reports of abandoned vehicles each year, with around 60% qualifying for enforcement such as fines, clamping and/or removal.

Once a vehicle has been removed the owners will have to pay the DVLA for unpaid car tax and pay a fee to have their vehicle released. The DVLA also has the power to impose a fine of £1,000, or five times the annual cost of the tax.

If members of the public wish to report an untaxed vehicle this can be achieved online – www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/abandoned-vehicles