A WOMAN says she was “fobbed off” by the council after complaining of an abandoned car.

The red Citroen Xsara Picasso has been on Mead roundabout, near Mannington Recreation Ground, for the two months.

This week Swindon woman Natalie Smith was left outraged after seeing that the grass on the roundabout had been cut around the car – but the vehicle itself had not been moved.

She said: “I reported the abandoned vehicle on the Swindon Borough Council website at 9.10 on Tuesday. By 7.30 on Wednesday morning I had received an email to say that the case had been closed, as the vehicle had been inspected and deemed roadworthy.

“While roadworthy, presumably the car has been abandoned for good, as I imagine the owner isn’t using it as a free parking space.”

Natalie questioned whether anyone from the council had been able to visit the car to make the checks in the 13 hours between her report having been made and the reply received.

The Swindon woman pondered whether the owner had been contacted regarding the dumped car.

“Has anyone confirmed if the vehicle has been reported stolen?” she asked.

“What a joke. I pay £145 a month in council tax to be fobbed off when an ongoing issue is reported. I’m absolutely ashamed to be a Swindon resident under this council this morning.”

When the Adver visited yesterday, the car was still sitting on the roundabout. A curl of police tape was still attached to its roof.

According to records held by the Driving and Vehicle Licensing Agency, the car’s MOT expired at the beginning of September – although its road tax is paid up until next August. The car was registered in September 2003.

Under law, local authorities have a duty to remove abandoned vehicles. But they do not have to remove the vehicles if the cost of moving them to the nearest highway is too great.

A vehicle is deemed to be “abandoned” for various reasons, including if they have no keeper on the DVLA’s database and are untaxed or they are left stationary for a “significant” amount of time.

A Swindon Borough Council spokesman said that a 15-day notice period was slapped on the vehicle at the beginning of September and a 24-hour notice earlier this week.

A disposal agent had been hired yesterday to take the vehicle away.

The spokesman queried whether Natalie had been told the car was roadworthy: "No vehicle inspections are carried out overnight. The abandoned vehicle team may specify a vehicle as 'road legal' but not 'roadworthy', as this factor is unknown until proven otherwise.

"The vehicle has been dealt with following due process in and is now being dealt with by the disposal agent."