AN ABANDONED car that has been sitting in a residential Braybrook street for more than three months was finally towed away on Friday by Council officers.
A resident, who does not wish to be named, said the red Honda Integra Sedan had been parked on Vine St – between Hargreaves Crescent and Churchill Ave – for the past three months, despite repeated calls to police and Maribyrnong City Council’s by-laws office.
“The police don’t want to know about it unless it’s reported stolen, the council don’t want to know about it unless its parked illegally, and you were just wasting your time and it really felt quite creepy after a while because it’s just been left there,” the resident said.
She said other residents in the street had also called council and the police to complain.
The situation came to a head last week when another vehicle ran into the back of the parked car the Saturday night before and drove off.
The force of the collision moved the car further up the street and threw glass and other debris across the road. The mess wasn’t cleaned up until last Tuesday when a street sweeper went down the street.
A Maribyrnong City Council Officer arrived at the site later that day and placed a “notice to comply” sticker on the front windscreen, giving the owner seven days to move the vehicle.
The officer also removed the car’s registration plates. The council’s general manager of corporate services Helen Morrissey said the council had requested the name as address of the vehicle owner from VicRoads to advise them of the requirements of the notice.
When Star went to inspect the car on Friday morning, the front was sitting partially on the nature strip, while its back was on the road. The right-hand side of the car was propped up with bricks because the wheels had been removed.
Ms Morrissey said the council had not received any calls about the abandoned vehicle before 5 May, when the collision and glass were first reported.
She said the council has the authority to remove unregistered or abandoned vehicles within the municipality upon notification under the Local Government Act.
The vehicle was towed away on Friday afternoon to the council’s impound yard to protect it from further damage. The owner will be advised of the move and if it is not collected by this Friday, the vehicle will be listed for public auction.
