Bepton villagers will have noticed the abandoned car near the T-Junction, which has been there since September.

We first reported the car to Operation Crackdown (Sussex Police’s website for anti-social driving and abandoned vehicles). They came back to us to say that the vehicle was not abandoned as it was taxed, insured and had a valid MOT. A quick check with the DVLA website showed that, although it had an MOT, it was registered as being off-road under SORN. And British insurance records confirmed that it was not insured. We went back to Sussex Police explaining this at the beginning of October. They said that they would investigate.

On Monday morning the car was hit by another vehicle. To add to its flat tyres, the side was badly damaged and the passenger window smashed with glass fragments spread down the lane. We have reported this again to the police. Their latest position is that WSCC are now discussing with Sussex Police “to see whether the vehicle can be removed”. We have pointed out that this isn’t very satisfactory and that the vehicle is a hazard.

We have been told by another parish that they had a similar situation with an abandoned car for a few months. Apparently, the police had been attempting to contact the owner to get them to pay for its removal. We shall continue to pursue!