Ford Fiesta van owner fined after abandoning vehicle on Cowpen Road in Blyth

34-year-old Dale Thirtle, of Woodhorn Villas, Ashington, was ordered to pay £916.57 after illegally abandoning the vehicle on Cowpen Road.

He was convicted of the offence at magistrates court on Friday, March 24, following a Northumberland County Council investigation.

The local authority first received reports of the vehicle in August 2022, and the van was deemed to be abandoned following a visit from its environmental enforcement team.

It was removed from the site and, after being identified as the owner, Thirtle was issued a notice to collect the vehicle and pay the removal costs

The notice was ignored, so the Fiesta was stored for seven days and then destroyed.

Thirtle declined to be interviewed by the council, but claimed to have sold the vehicle to an unnamed person.

He was still the registered owner, however, and he was in possession of the vehicle's V5 registration document.

He was sentenced to a fine of £440 for the offence, as well as being ordered to pay £300.57 in costs and a victim surcharge of £176.

Councillor Colin Horncastle, cabinet member for community service, said: “I hope this case serves as a warning that people must dispose of their vehicles properly.

“Leaving them abandoned can attract antisocial behaviour, is an eye-sore for local residents, and a safety hazard.

“It would have been much cheaper for this man to have paid someone to get rid of the vehicle legally than to wind up before the magistrates with a hefty fine and a criminal record.”