A MAN who abandoned a car at the roadside is facing a bill of more than £1,000.

Luke Edward Quinn, 25, was prosecuted by Durham County Council after failing to pay a Fixed Penalty Notice for dumping the vehicle.

Magistrates in Peterlee heard that a neighbourhood warden was on patrol in the Waterhouses area, near Esh Winning, in July when he discovered a car at the side of the road on Button’s Bank.

The vehicle, a blue Chrysler Neon, was full of rubbish and the passenger side window was broken. A DVLA check revealed that it was untaxed.

The car was seized by the council when Quinn, of Beechfield Rise, Coxhoe, was identified as the owner.

He was issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice for £200, which remains unpaid.

Quinn did not attend court and was found guilty in his absence. He was fined £660 and ordered to pay £280 costs and a £66 victim surcharge.

Ian Hoult, Durham County Council’s neighbourhood protection manager, said: “If you no longer want your car it is important that you dispose of it correctly.”

He added: “Abandoned vehicles are not only unsightly, they can also cause a danger to other road users. And, as this case demonstrates, it can also prove incredibly costly if you do not get rid of a vehicle responsibly.

“We would class a vehicle as having been abandoned if it has been in the same location for a significant period of time. Such vehicles are often unsecured and are damaged or vandalised, for example, with broken windows or flat tyres. Sometimes grass may also have grown around them.”

To report to an abandoned vehicle, visit www.durham.gov.uk/abandonedvehicles

For help to dispose of a vehicle, visit www.cartakeback.com