Woman fined for abandoning mouldy car

A woman has been fined for abandoning a mouldy Audi A3.

Ria Smith left her car, which was also uninsured, on Redcliff Road in Hessle in January 2023.

She was given a £200 fixed penalty notice by East Riding of Yorkshire Council and asked to remove the car but when she failed to do so, the authority took her to court.

The 43-year-old, of Ashby Road in Hull, was found guilty in her absence at Beverley Magistrates' Court of abandoning a car, and fined £739 on 18 July.

The council said Smith initially responded and agreed to requests to move the vehicle, which had a mouldy interior, but further attempts to contact her were unsuccessful.

Carl Skelton, director of Streetscene services at the council, said: “Abandoned cars can cause a real nuisance for residents and become a safety hazard, so thank you to members of the public for reporting them to us.

“We can usually resolve the situation with the owners and the vehicles get removed, but in cases like this we have to step in.”

The car was destroyed after Smith "made no attempt to recover her vehicle", the council added.

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