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lynx
nick_h.
The council's contractor disposed of my motorbike without writing to me about it. Am I entitled to compensation?
The bike had been stolen. I reported the theft. Sometime later the thief abandoned it on the street and it was recovered and impounded by the contractor. I received a phone message from the police saying that the bike was in the council pound. I rang the contractor. They said the bike had been destroyed, and that they hadn't written to me because the bike didn't have a number plate. They said the police had been trying to contact me. My view is that the contractor had a statutory duty to write to me on the council's behalf. It would have been simple to get my address from the frame or engine number.
This says "Authorities can dispose of an abandoned vehicle immediately if...it has no number plates. In all other cases, they must try to find the owner." https://www.gov.uk/guidance/abandoned-vehicles-council-responsibilities But it doesn't mention vehicles abandoned not by the owner but by a thief. Or vehicles which have had numberplates removed by a thief or vandals. Perhaps the relevant law caters for such details, but I can't find it.
I've complained to the contractor and am being ignored. My next step is a complaint to the council. If they fob me off, can I go to the Small Claims Court? I want five grand.
eta. The bike wasn't insured against theft. I don't know what condition it was in when recovered. I don't know whether the contractor took a photo.