A CHESTER resident has been left fuming after his vehicle was clamped and seized by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA).
David Jones, 70, left his Land Rover parked in the same spot for almost a year near his Canal Street home.
But after returning to his home from a day out with his wife, he found clamping firm Capita, under instruction from the DVLA, had clamped the car.
That Land Rover has since been seized by the DVLA, where it is now in a pound in Queensferry.
Mr Jones claims there is a long-standing agreement he has held with British Waterways, which owns the land on the parking spot, and has never had issues with the space before.
He said: “I had a verbal agreement with the British Waterways representative 34 years ago when I moved in, who said there was no problem with me being there. Unfortunately, he has since died so he can’t be contacted, but we had an agreement, as I’d had with the landlady.
“The whole thing smacks of draconianism and the DVLA seem unremorseful about it. It has caused me and my wife lots of distress.”
VEAS, which provides the national vehicle excise duty service for the DVLA, said: “On June 29, our officers enforced an untaxed Land Rover, which was parked on publicly accessible land in Chester. By law, our enforcement officers are able to check all publicly accessible land for untaxed vehicles.
“After we enforced the vehicle, we were informed by the registered keeper the land was privately owned and he had permission to park there.
“Having contacted both the local council and British Waterways, we have since found out the land is privately owned by British Waterways. They have informed us in writing the registered keeper does not have permission to park his untaxed vehicle there. As such, the vehicle is still subject to enforcement action.”
Mr Jones is now appealing against the ruling.
