'Debt collectors chased me over car I traded-in'

A man has been told to pay hundreds of pounds in unpaid parking charges for a car he no longer owns.

John Morgan part-exchanged the vehicle on 6 December 2022 at Just Audi VW in Lincoln but received parking charges from Euro Car Parks (ECP) in June and July 2023 for failing to pay at a car park in Wigan.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) was not notified of the change of owner from Mr Morgan to the car dealer or again after it was sold at auction two weeks later, making him liable for any charges or fines in that time.

ECP has been contacted for comment but has not responded.

The DVLA said it is the legal responsibility of the registered keeper to notify it if a vehicle is sold or transferred.

Mr Morgan, who is 75 and from Washingborough, near Lincoln, said he believed the garage was dealing with the paperwork, as he finds it difficult to read and write.

The car dealership said "we sometimes assist" in notifying the DLVA when a vehicle is sold or traded and added: "When we were made aware of the parking charges, we discovered that the DVLA had not been notified of the change of ownership."

The DVLA states that although a motor trader is allowed to act on a keeper's behalf to notify it of a sale, it is the keeper's legal responsibility to ensure that the notification has been made.

Just Audi VW confirmed the car was sold at auction on December 19 2022 and a chance to register another new owner was missed.

"We always strive to provide the highest level of support. In this instance it appears there was a shortcoming in our process," a spokesperson said.

"We regret any inconvenience caused and have since strengthened our internal processes to prevent this from happening again."

The dealership appealed Mr Morgan's case on his behalf with ECP and then "promptly retrieved the necessary documentation and backdated the notification to the DVLA".

The agency confirmed it received a disposal notification in September 2023 and had since updated its records to reflect the part-exchange in 2022.

Mr Morgan said he thought that was the end of the matter but was then left "distressed" when contacted by Direct Collection Bailiffs Ltd (DCB) about 12 months later asking for £310.

"They're demanding money for something I didn't own," Mr Morgan said. "I've never been to Wigan in my life."

He said the letter left him fearing "bailiffs would turn up at my door", but after the BBC contacted DCB for comment, Mr Morgan said the company had called him to say it had handed the case back to ECP.

"The issue has taken over my life," he said.

"I'm all right during the day. It's at night-time when I sit in my chair [that] it comes into my mind.

"I told Euro Car Parks that I don't own the car but they just don't want to listen to what I'm saying, whatsoever.

"I've had parking tickets before and I've paid them. But I just cannot pay this.

"I think it's wrong. It's just not right what they're doing. They cannot demand money off people for something they haven't done."