Richard's Good News Story of the Week concerns removing an abandoned vehicle in Billericay.
"Mr B in Billericay raised a case with me, recently, one that we see too often in Basildon and Billericay – an abandoned vehicle that, since 2025, has had no tax, no MOT, a smashed windshield, and two flat tyres.
It’s so annoying for residents having abandoned vans and cars left outside their home. It looks awful on the street scene, they can become magnets for vandalism and anti-social behaviour, and take up valuable parking spaces, and sometimes can cause a hindrance to drivers trying to navigate the road but cannot see past them.
There’s always some confusion for people about who should be dealing with an abandoned vehicle. Now, normally, local authorities deal with abandoned vehicles – and Basildon Council do remove them when I raise them – and the DLVA will look at vehicles that are not taxed. Quite often, people report these to the police but that should only happen when the vehicle is causing an issue like being left in a dangerous spot or is blocking access.
In Mr B’s case, he’d reported this car many, many months ago and just wasn’t seeing any action. Literally two days after contacting me and then my office raising the case, Mr B confirmed the car was finally removed. If you are facing a similar problem - get in touch!
I say this so often, but just reaching out to me for help to nudge something along in the system can make such a big difference. I see it day in, day out. If you need help with that, or with any other appropriate matter, then please do get in touch via my website here: https://www.richardholden.org.uk/contact. I cannot resolve every problem, but my team and I will try our hardest for you anyway and provide as much assistance as possible."
