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Family's car clamped and torched | Family's car clamped and torched |
(10 minutes later) | |
Arsonists destroyed a family car when it was left near a park overnight after being clamped by the DVLA, who thought it was untaxed. | |
Its owners claimed the £6,000 Vauxhall Zafira should not have been clamped, because it did have a tax disc. | |
Martin and Caroline George, from Bristol, parked their car near Durdham Downs in the city on Wednesday. | |
They said they had to leave it there overnight when DVLA officials refused to accept it was taxed and unclamp it. | |
It was set on fire during the night and when Mr and Mrs George, from the Lawrence Weston area of Bristol, arrived the next morning they found only a charred outline of where their car had been. | |
Receipt proof | Receipt proof |
The DVLA said the case was being investigated. | |
Mr George, 24, said: "It's a real nightmare. The car was taxed until the end of October, but they clamped it anyway. | Mr George, 24, said: "It's a real nightmare. The car was taxed until the end of October, but they clamped it anyway. |
"We rang up the DVLA but they refused to release it and it was left overnight near the park. | "We rang up the DVLA but they refused to release it and it was left overnight near the park. |
"We paid for the tax disc in May and have a receipt to prove it. There's no question it could have fallen down from the windscreen, it was securely in place. We even took a photo on our mobile phone of the disc after it was clamped. | "We paid for the tax disc in May and have a receipt to prove it. There's no question it could have fallen down from the windscreen, it was securely in place. We even took a photo on our mobile phone of the disc after it was clamped. |
DVLA is sorry to hear of the vehicle keeper's distress DVLA spokesman | |
"We're gutted. We've got no car and we don't know if the insurance will pay out on it." | "We're gutted. We've got no car and we don't know if the insurance will pay out on it." |
The couple found just the charred outline of where the car had been because the burnt-out shell of the Vauxhall had been removed by the city council after firefighters were called out to tackle the blaze at 0100 BST on Thursday morning. | |
A DVLA spokesman said: "DVLA is sorry to hear of the vehicle keeper's distress. | A DVLA spokesman said: "DVLA is sorry to hear of the vehicle keeper's distress. |
"The Agency cannot comment on a specific case with a third party. However, I can confirm that the case is being investigated and DVLA will be contacting the keeper direct on this matter." | "The Agency cannot comment on a specific case with a third party. However, I can confirm that the case is being investigated and DVLA will be contacting the keeper direct on this matter." |
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