TOWIES STOLE MY CAR

FURY AS VEHICLES DISAPPEAR FROM STREET

MY PARTNER SAID HE HAD PARKED IN THIS STREET 100 TIMES OVER. GEORGIA GARDINER

AN angry motorist has reported his car stolen to police and refusing to pay $550 to a towing company after it was taken from a street in Surfers Paradise at the weekend.

Shaun Brookman is one of a number of drivers to contact authorities after their cars were towed and impounded from Pandanus Avenue, near the QT Hotel, on Saturday.

At least six drivers had their cars taken by Gold Coast Car Solutions after an employee of the Nerang tow trucking company yesterday said they had been hired by the owner of the street, Ali Holdings Pty Ltd.

That’s right. Ali Holdings bought the street off Gold Coast City Council in 1991, thought to be in anticipation of future development.

Mr Brookman discovered his six-month-old Renault Megane missing after watching the Suns-Geelong AFL match at Metricon Stadium and returning to QT Hotel where he was staying.

Walking Pandanus Ave, he said he saw signs threatening a “tow away” zone but due to their positioning, he thought they related to adjacent land owned by the hotel.

Mr Brookman said he has reported his car stolen to police and is refusing to pay the $550 demanded from the tow truck company.

“We initially were certain it had been stolen, as we checked there were no parking limits.”

“There was a solid yellow line, but we parked up the street from it. As we walked into the hotel, we were informed about eight vehicles were towed from that street that afternoon.”

Another driver, Georgia Gardiner, also thought her car had been stolen from Pandanus Avenue on Saturday night.

Ms Gardiner, in Surfers Paradise for a birthday party at the QT, said she avoided yellow lines on the street. She parked on Pandanus Avenue just after 7pm and returned shortly after 9pm to find her car missing.

After walking the street, the 26-year-old said she found a sign that read “private property” and “tow away zone”.

After phoning the number on the sign, Ms Gardiner said she was forced to pay $550 to pick up her car from Gold Coast Car Solutions in Nerang.

“I was crying because it’s emotional to part with that much money when you don’t have it. My partner said he had parked in this street 100 times over. (The towie) said ‘we’ve only just started doing this’.”

A Gold Coast Car Solutions representative, who would only identify himself as Mark, said the company had been hired to remove vehicles parked on Pandanus Ave.

Before the blitz, the employee said notices were left on vehicles in the street, saying the area was now a tow-away zone. Another sign along Pandanus Ave offers car parks for lease.

Ali Ali, of Ali Holdings, did not return calls yesterday.

A City of Gold Coast spokeswoman said the road did not belong to council: “Council retains an easement over the closed road area. That easement is for “services” – sewer, water etc. It has been privately owned by Ali Holdings No. 3 Pty Ltd since 1991. This road has not been resealed by council.”