Monday, May 12, 2008

Man cuts his car in half over dispute


A Gloucester man took drastic action when his car was clamped - he sawed it in half. Ian Taylor, 40, of Tredworth, said: "I bought the car for my stepson to do up but it was below economical to do it so it has been parked on the drive for months."I have a SORN (Statutory Off Road Notification) certificate and it has never been driven on the roads. It was clamped because I didn't have road tax but it was off the road." Mr Taylor, who is a builder, discovered the burgundy L-reg Ford Fiesta, which he had bought for his 16-year-old stepson Scott, had been clamped at about 12.30pm on Wednesday.He said: "I couldn't believe they had clamped it on the drive, just because half the tyre was on the road off the boundary of our drive on a footpath. We tried to complain but no one we spoke to knew what the legislation was.
"So when the lorry came this morning to take it away, I used a petrol disc cutter to cut it in half. I am absolutely furious. I paid £50 for the car and it would cost me £280 to get it unclamped." Angry Mr Taylor added: "I cut it in half and said they could have the half that was on the road. The ticket said not to damage or remove the clamp so I didn't. It was a drastic thing to do but it worked. I stand by my decision."A police spokeswoman said: "Police were called by a staff member of the DVLA to Tarrington Road in Gloucester just before 9am, following reports that a man was in the street with a chain saw. On police attendance the man was using a disc cutter and attempting to cut his own car in half, following a civil dispute with the DVLA. He was not threatening anyone with the disc cutter and there will be no further police action."

No comments: