I’m gathering they’ve left some sort of number to ring / notice on the window so you can contact the DVLA and not just clamped it?
If so you need to ring that number and discuss the matter.
I strongly advise you do not move the vehicle or tamper with the clamp. Obviously your choice if you do but it won’t then just be a simple fine for no tax. They will not crush your car or certainly won’t for 28 days minimum!
Unfortunately you don’t really have a leg to stand on with regards to this and trust me I’ve been caught out with vehicle tax before myself so you’re best off just paying the fine and putting it down to experience.
I’m gathering / hoping the car is insured??
as far as i am aware before you can have the clamp removed the car must be taxed , insured and MOT'd with documents to prove it is, only then will they remove the clamp once the clamping fee is paid
there is a time limit for you to do this ( 7 days i think ) if for whatever reason you don't do this the car will be removed and crushed
if it's an official clamp ( not a private firm ) or company contracted by the council / police removing it is a bit of a no no even if you manage to remove it with no damage
a story
a few years ago a car was clamped for not being road legal, the owner got a scrapyard buddy to lift the car on to a low loader and move it
somehow the authoritative body who clamped the vehicle got wind of what had happened to the car and the police swooped on said scrapyard as if some major crime had took place
a friend of mine worked at the scrapyard at the time and told me the story which got me thinking that if some government official clamps your car for whatever reason the last thing you want to be doing is removing the clamp or moving the car
it seems to upset them
on a side note
if a car is taxed and MOT'd but the insurance has expired it still has to be SORN even on private land it's not just expired tax
@Westindieman
Unfortunately you have made a mistake.It happens.
It is extremely important you ignore any advice from nvingo.
His initial post was reported to us by a Police Officer, and his subsequent advice has got worse.
If you are not using a car it now needs to be kept insured and taxed unless it is kept off the road and SORNED.
When you need to make a SORN
Overview
You need to make a SORN (Statutory Off Road Notification) when you take a vehicle ‘off the road’ and you want to stop taxing and insuring it.
Your vehicle is off the road if you don’t keep or use it on a public road, for example if it’s in a garage, on a drive or on private land.
You must make a SORN in any of the following situations:
your vehicle isn’t taxedyour vehicle isn’t insured (even for a short time, for example because there’s a delay renewing your policy)
Pay the fine now. It only gets bigger! Info here: Get a clamped or impounded vehicle released You have 24 hours before they come back and take the car, at which point the fine doubles and you start paying a storage fee on top of the initial fine.
Be aware of fake sites that make it look like you are paying the fine directly, but are actually creaming off an "admin" fee. Refer to the INF-32 leaflet they would have left you, there should be a sticker on the back with the recovery info, as it's usually sub'd out to a private company.
I saw a vehicle on a grass verge outside a house clamped for no tax. Even though it was "off road", but not on private property. If it's not SORN'd you will still be fined and risk having the vehicle impounded and crushed if it's parked on your drive, so get it SORN'd asap!
It's probably that you had the car registered to your address but not taxed or SORN'd that led to the visit. You will need to pay the back tax to whenever it was last taxed and you could be liable for a fine of up to 5x the back tax or £1000.
I really would not remove the clamp or try and move the car, this is likely to be another offence, with another fine and possibly even a criminal record. Sorry, there's no wiggle room and no good news here. DVSA and HMRC have more powers than pretty much every other statutory body and you will lose I'm afraid.
You didn't "consider everything" when you left your untaxed car on the road did you.
Sounds like it's going to cost a bit before you sell it now.
You can't get an MOT while your car is clamped, It's just taxed and insured or SORNed that concern them.
IG is right.
This is because too many people 'nipped out' in untaxed cars and the only way to cut down on it was to create SORNs.
I seem to recall, though, that you can't get tax unless and until its insured and MOTd??
So it seems to me that the only course of events is
- pay fine, get clamp removed and then move it off the public highway and then either
- SORN it or
- make an MOT appointment, insure it and then get it tested and, once passed, get tax.
You are permitted to drive an untaxed vehicle to and from pre arranged MOT test.
DVSA also have a huge network of ANPR cameras, so if a SORN'D car is picked up, expect a fine through the post - or a visit! They will fine you above and beyond the back tax - up to 5X the amount!
If you have genuinely just forgotten to SORN it and the car has not been moved, you will probably get away with just the back tax.
It's a deterrent.