188体育

DVLA has revealed a list of some of the items found in untaxed cars that were clamped and impounded in the last 12 months. As well as everyday items, some unusual artefacts came to light.

The list includes:

• 3 jockey helmets
• off-road quad bike
• an acoustic guitar complete with accessories, stand and carry-case
• half a corner sofa
• bathroom toilet with seat
• fishing rods complete with tackle
• 鈥楤eavis & Butthead鈥� trading cards
• full drum kit complete with Cort 鈥楪roove Engine GE15B鈥� amplifier set
• a quantity of men鈥檚 torso mannequins
• a highly collectible Louis Wain book of illustrated cats from the 1920s
• full set of golf clubs

Any personal belongings found in impounded vehicles are catalogued and stored for a period of time in case they are claimed, before being made available for sale. DVLA鈥檚 Head of Enforcement Tim Burton said:

Having your car clamped is expensive and inconvenient - and as this list of items shows, you could end up losing more than just the car!

DVLA operates a range of measures to make vehicle tax easy to pay and hard to avoid. While the vast majority of motorists do the right thing and tax their cars correctly, it is right that we take action against those that break the law and fail to tax their car. It鈥檚 never been easier to tax your car - it鈥檚 just a few clicks to do it online and you can do it 24 hours a day. You can also spread payments across the year by Direct Debit, so there really is no excuse.

The law is clear and so are the consequences - tax it or lose it.

Motorists can check when the tax on a vehicle is due using DVLA鈥檚 online service - all they need is the vehicle鈥檚 registration number.

Notes to editors

A full inventory of the items 鈥榖agged and tagged鈥� includes the items detailed on the list.

All of the items detailed in the inventory can be traced back to a specific site where the vehicle was impounded. The items detailed in the list may be logged in the inventory as 鈥榓ssorted items鈥� or 鈥榤isc鈥� but we can confirm that all were found in untaxed vehicles that were clamped and impounded. DVLA writes to the keepers of all vehicles to remind them when their tax is due. That鈥檚 why it鈥檚 so important for motorists to let DVLA know if they鈥檝e changed address.

Wheelclamping is one of a range of enforcement measures used by DVLA against untaxed vehicles. Where an untaxed vehicle is clamped the motorist will have to pay a release fee of 拢100 and - if they cannot show that the vehicle has been taxed - a surety fee of 拢160. The surety fee is refunded if the motorist is able to show that the vehicle has been taxed within 15 days of the vehicle鈥檚 release. If the release fee has not been paid within 24 hours then DVLA will impound the vehicle. The release fee will then rise to 拢200 and there will be a storage charge of 拢21 per day. Again, a surety fee of 拢160 must be paid if the motorist cannot show that the vehicle has been taxed.

If a vehicle is declared off the road (SORN) it must be kept off the road, on private land.

Any personal belongings found in impounded vehicles are stored for a period of time in case they are claimed, before being made available for sale.

Further information on taxing a vehicle, including how to do this online, can be found on 188体育 at: www.gov.uk/vehicle-tax

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