Leaving a vehicle displaying a "For Sale" sign in the road, on
the pavement or on adjoining open areas is illegal.
There may also be other offences involved, for example not
disclosing if you are a trader, unroadworthy vehicles or "clocked"
mileages.
Vehicle sales fall into a number of categories which
include:
- Recognised showrooms which park vehicles outside the limits of
their premises
- Individuals or businesses buying and selling cars in the road
(sometimes trying to disguise this activity by using different
phone numbers)
- Individuals who buy a car, do it up, sell it on and then buy
another to repeat the process
- Residents who buy a new vehicle and need to sell their old one
(at infrequent intervals)
The Council has a clear policy that it will take action against
the first three of these categories. The Council may take action in
the fourth category depending on the circumstances (e.g. vehicles
left in main shopping streets or on bus routes)
It is an offence under Section 38 of the London Local
Authorities Act 1990 to expose or offer for sale any vehicle on a
public street. Authorised Officers of the Council or Police
Constables may remove as evidence any motor vehicle offered for
sale in this way.
At the Council's discretion any or all of the following actions
may be taken
- Notices will be affixed to vehicles pointing out the
offence
- Vehicles may be seized as evidence and removed from the
location.
- A formal letter of warning may be sent to the registered owner
of the vehicles
- A fixed penalty notice may be issued
- The owners may receive a formal caution.
- The owners may be prosecuted in the Magistrates Court in which
case the following penalties will apply. The maximum daily fine
upon conviction is £1,000 and Magistrates may also make an order
for the vehicle to be forfeited in which case it is likely to be
crushed by the Council. They can also award costs to cover removal
and storage of the vehicle if it has been seized.
If you wish to report a vehicle for sale in the street
please Street Scene.