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Dodgy car sales in Bexleyheath / advice needed

edited November 2009 in Not Sports Related
Strange one this peeps but I thought I'd run it by you all to see what you suggest.

I'm currently living in Bexleyheath, just between Watling St and Mayplace Road near Martens Park. Not going to tell you exactly where for obvious reasons. Anyway, the problem is that I've witnessed around three or four car sales going on outside my house and outside Martens Park.

To explain what happens...I've seen two men (they look like Poles and I've been close enough to them to hear they sound East European too) park "old" cars down our road and surrounding roads. When I say old cars, they all seem to be P Reg (1997 registered) or older, so they all look as though they've been collected in one way or another through the scrappage scheme. Anyway, tonight I witnessed yet another "transaction". One of the Poles turns up in a car, the customer turns up and looks over the car, decides to buy it then customer hands over cash in the street.

Now according to the guy who lives across the road, he has noticed it too and after he'd done some digging around, we've discovered that 4 or 5 of these cars are currently for sale on ebay. Anything up to £500 cash, absolutely no returns, customer buys at own risk type of thing.

Ok, fair enough these Poles are probably trying to make a living but an honest living? The parking situation is bad enough down our road as it is without dumped cars down here too, taking up spaces which residents should be using. The neighbours and I would also prefer they fcuked off to do their dodgy dealing elsewhere too.

So what to do?

I initially thought about having it out with them and being upfront...then I saw that both the guys looks like American Wrestlers so started to think through what other options we've got. If the cars are taxed, they have a right to be there I guess. If not, the Police can get them towed away. All seem to be taxed (have had a very close look at them in daylight) so that doesnt seem to be an option.

Then I started to think about licencing. Surely to sell stuff in the street, you need a licence?

Then if these cars have all been collected through the scrappage scheme, I thought the environmental impact was to get these cars scrapped and off the road as well as kick start the car industry increasing sales.

Got no idea where to start with this but I feel I need to do something about and stop ignoring it.

So what would everyone else do? involve the Police? involve the Council? The old man in constantly moaning about it, so much so to get him off my case I nearly went out there tonight and said something, before he stopped me at the door, saying he wants no trouble.

Come on Lifers, how do you suggest I tackle this problem?

Comments

  • edited November 2009
    Council.

    Greenwich are shit hot on these sort of sales. Report it to local trading standards. They will either seize the cars or nick those selling them in conjunction with the police. The practice is (i think) illegal. Best case it all gets stopped, worst case they go somewhere else and it isnt your problem anymore.
  • Great, cheers Clem_Snide. Wondered whether the council would be able to help, I guess trading standards would be best option as you've said. Hadnt thought of that.
  • Jump out from a bush with a baseball bat and run at them?
  • edited November 2009
    [cite]Posted By: Clem_Snide[/cite]Council.

    Greenwich are shit hot on these sort of sales.

    Bexleyheath? Thought that came under Bexley Council?

    I believe you can sell used cars legally up to a certain number (I think no more than 6 per year) from a private address, otherwise the council/government class it as a 'dealership' (in the loosest sense) for which the seller would need all the relevant licensing, etc and be liable to all relevant taxations.
  • [cite]Posted By: NathanPrior[/cite]Jump out from a bush with a baseball bat and run at them?

    Trust me, I'd love to lol
    [cite]Posted By: P_Air[/cite]I believe you can sell used cars legally up to a certain number (I think no more than 6 per year) from a private address, otherwise the council/government class it as a 'dealership' (in the loosest sense) for which the seller would need all the relevant licensing, etc and be liable to all relevant taxations.

    Thats interesting to know. We've started noting the number plates of the cars and the dates of the transactions we've witnessed too, so maybe the councils trading standards department would be interested in seeing later.
  • It's a licensing issue for the local authority. Write down the times that the transactions take place and the reg numbers of the cars that they sell and the cars that they arrive in. Send to enviro-crime@bexley.gov.uk and don't get involved in any arguments.
  • Nosey neighbour.
  • I doubt if these have anything to do with the scrappage system, as the dealers are committed to scrapping them. My daughter recently sold hers through this scheme, and was advised that her old car would be scrapped immediately, as they are monitored very closely by the government, and would get in serious trouble if they were discovered elsewhere.
  • as well as dates and times, take photos of the cars and maybe even consider taking photos of the deals safely from an upstairs window.
  • Call immigration
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  • Grass.
  • Can you let us know what's currently for sale and how much?
  • Get Dazzler on the case!
  • cant see it being an imigration thing--- EU and all that. Even if it was the UK Border Force Massive will turn up- wag their fingers alot and make em promise "cross your hearts" to get the first flight out the UK .
  • Had same outside mine Dartford Council only worried if no taxes on them........Police the same .but council said something like they cannot sell one than one car unles they ase so many meters apart with same number if that makes sense..............other end of road had some trouble up near the merry tinkers site....next day the cars where lovingly painted in white emulsion :o)
  • [cite]Posted By: Addickted[/cite]Can you let us know what's currently for sale and how much?

    I'll send you the ebay link lol.
    [cite]Posted By: Cardinal Sin[/cite]Nosey neighbour.
    [cite]Posted By: WSS[/cite]Grass.

    Moi? Not me ;-)

    Cheers for the advice peeps. Will send Bexley Council an email with a couple of photos to see if they are interested.
  • Report it to the police there is no way these vehicles can be confirmed as safe and are probably stolen!
  • [cite]Posted By: Dazzler21[/cite]Report it to the police there is no way these vehicles can be confirmed as safe and are probably stolen!

    If they are taxed the old bill will not want to know. Ring bexley council as above.
  • [cite]Posted By: NathanPrior[/cite]Jump out from a bush with a baseball bat and run at them?
    and if these "American wrestle builtr" guys don't move then what? That bat won't be the best weapon... The council and the law however would be.
  • [cite]Posted By: shirty5[/cite]
    [cite]Posted By: Dazzler21[/cite]Report it to the police there is no way these vehicles can be confirmed as safe and are probably stolen!

    If they are taxed the old bill will not want to know. Ring bexley council as above.
    if they're stolen they will, taxed or not if my car was nicked tomorrow it is taxed so the police won't care? Don't think your comment has much logic tbh!
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  • let the tyres down and put a "no one likes us, we don't care" sticker on the windscreen.
  • To be honest, if you buy a cheap old car off a couple of eastern european guys, outside an address that's not listed on the registration document (which you should never do) then you must be pretty dim not to realise it may be a bit on the dodgy side.
  • They are probably not stolen but maybe they are category c write offs - cheap/old cars which have had a shunt but the cost of the commercial repair isn't worth the insurance value. The insurance company then writes them off and recoups some of the payout by selling them on - not for scrap but to a dealer who repairs them at his own expense and then sells them on at a profit.
  • But yes get your local trading standards officers on the case and leave it to them.
  • A tin of paint stripper works a treat!
  • [cite]Posted By: P_Air[/cite]
    [cite]Posted By: Clem_Snide[/cite]Council.

    Greenwich are shit hot on these sort of sales.

    Bexleyheath? Thought that came under Bexley Council?

    I believe you can sell used cars legally up to a certain number (I think no more than 6 per year) from a private address, otherwise the council/government class it as a 'dealership' (in the loosest sense) for which the seller would need all the relevant licensing, etc and be liable to all relevant taxations.

    Was only using Greenwich as an example. They have had a crack down on cars parked on a street with a for sale advert in the window. They hammered a bloke in Old Dover Rd. He had about ten up for sale, they tickted them threatening to remove them and when he didn't do anything went bqck and removed the lot.
  • [cite]Posted By: Clem_Snide[/cite]
    [cite]Posted By: P_Air[/cite]
    [cite]Posted By: Clem_Snide[/cite]Council.

    Greenwich are shit hot on these sort of sales.

    Bexleyheath? Thought that came under Bexley Council?

    I believe you can sell used cars legally up to a certain number (I think no more than 6 per year) from a private address, otherwise the council/government class it as a 'dealership' (in the loosest sense) for which the seller would need all the relevant licensing, etc and be liable to all relevant taxations.

    Was only using Greenwich as an example. They have had a crack down on cars parked on a street with a for sale advert in the window. They hammered a bloke in Old Dover Rd. He had about ten up for sale, they tickted them threatening to remove them and when he didn't do anything went bqck and removed the lot.

    Same thing happened along Plumstead Common Road, bloke was selling cars along there for as long a I can remember until one day every car had a ticket on it threatening to remove them all.
  • you could just try asking them politely to piss off at first and then if that doesnt work try the legit route
  • [cite]Posted By: Plaaayer[/cite]
    [cite]Posted By: Clem_Snide[/cite]
    [cite]Posted By: P_Air[/cite]
    [cite]Posted By: Clem_Snide[/cite]Council.

    Greenwich are shit hot on these sort of sales.

    Bexleyheath? Thought that came under Bexley Council?

    I believe you can sell used cars legally up to a certain number (I think no more than 6 per year) from a private address, otherwise the council/government class it as a 'dealership' (in the loosest sense) for which the seller would need all the relevant licensing, etc and be liable to all relevant taxations.

    Was only using Greenwich as an example. They have had a crack down on cars parked on a street with a for sale advert in the window. They hammered a bloke in Old Dover Rd. He had about ten up for sale, they tickted them threatening to remove them and when he didn't do anything went bqck and removed the lot.

    Same thing happened along Plumstead Common Road, bloke was selling cars along there for as long a I can remember until one day every car had a ticket on it threatening to remove them all.

    The thing is now the cars arent on Plumstead Common Road for very long! As mentioned above, the Council do a great job to sort this sort of activity out!
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