The offending party faces an unlimited fine if they don’t surrender particular information to the council
Croydon Council is continuing its crusade of crackdowns on dodgy cars having crushed and destroyed 13 seriously dangerous motors. It comes after the dozen-plus untaxed vehicles blighted a Croydon street with exposed, sharp shards of pointy metal, courtesy of a garage owner.
The cars were being dumped on Parchmore Road in Thornton Heath by the garage previously known locally as Balham Autos. Despite numerous warnings over the months, Croydon Council took action against garage after the cars blocked residential parking spots, thus creating serious hazards.
Officers found cars without an engine parked on double yellow lines, vehicles without tax or doors, and others with sharp, exposed metal edges. Some clogged up disabled bays, and there were also reports of aggressive behaviour towards residents and council staff when the garage was challenged.
Croydon Council has issued a Community Protection Notice (CPN) and a Section 16 Notice. This is a legal requirement for the business to give-up full information about the vehicles and site operation. The garage could be slammed with an unlimited fine if it doesn’t play ball.
‘Completely unacceptable’
Jason Perry, Executive Mayor of Croydon said: “Residents are right to be angry – and so am I. What has been happening on Parchmore Road is completely unacceptable. For too long, this garage has been allowed to dump dangerous, untaxed and unroadworthy vehicles on the street, blocking pavements and disabled bays, and making residents feel unsafe.
“I went down to Parchmore Road myself to meet residents, who have lived there for over 40 years and have had enough of seeing their street treated like a scrapyard. This type of illegal activity attracts more antisocial behaviour and fly-tipping – it tells others the rules do not matter.
“That is why I have taken a zero-tolerance approach. This is Broken Windows in action – tackling the signs of neglect before it grows into something worse.
“This is a focused, ongoing operation. The council will not stand by while one garage blights an entire community.”
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