Moped seized and owner hit with £660 fine for leaving it communal area
A MAN from Loughborough has been fined £660 for refusing to remove his moped from the communal area of a block of councilowned flats.
Hassan Heydari, 27, of Russell Street, Loughborough, was given the fine after breaching a community protection notice which banned him from leaving the vehicle in the communal space.
In September 2019, an officer from Charnwood Borough Council visited the flats in Russell Street where a moped was left in the communal area.
Mr Heydari was identified as the owner and asked to remove the vehicle because it was causing an obstruction and a fire risk.
A week later, the moped was still in the communal area and the council issued a letter to Mr Heydari stating he was breaching the terms of his tenancy agreement by obstructing a shared area and instructing him to remove the moped.
Despite several warnings, the moped was not removed, and a community protection notice was issued in December 2019.
The notice required Mr Heydari to remove the moped or face possible prosecution.
Councillor James Poland, lead member for public housing, said: “Fire safety is an incredibly important issue and we need to keep our tenants safe. “This includes making sure the communal areas of our council properties are not obstructed so tenants can leave the properties quickly in an emergency. “We engaged with Mr Heydari on more than one occasion to explain the importance of keeping the communal area clear and gave him plenty of chances to remove the moped before we issued the notice.” In January 2020, the council received several reports from residents about the moped with one resident stating an ambulance crew had struggled to get them out of their flat as the moped was causing an obstruction.
The authority obtained a warrant to seize the moped in February 2020.
The council bought the prosecution against Mr Heydari on Monday, November 2, at Leicester Magistrates’ Court, for breaching the community protection notice. He did not appear in court or enter a plea.
The court fined Mr Heydari £660 for breaching the notice, ordered him to pay a victim surcharge of £66 and a contribution of £594 towards the prosecution’s costs.
The court also granted the council permission to dispose of the moped.
Cllr Poland said: “Despite several warnings, Mr Heydari continued to breach his tenancy agreement and the community protection notice which meant the only option was to seize the moped and take this forward in court.
“I hope this reminds our tenants of the importance of keeping communal areas clear of obstructions, as well as reassuring them we will take whatever action is necessary to keep them safe.”
Fire safety is an incredibly important issue and we need to keep our tenants safe. This includes making sure the communal areas of our council properties are not obstructed