Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Would you report this or mind your own business?

250 replies

shadowkitty3 · 18/03/2023 18:47

There is a man who lives in a van in my town. For the last year or so he has been parked in a particular public car park. He is definitely homeless and lives in the van.

Out of curiosity I put the numberplate into the online car tax checker a few months ago. The van is SORN and the MOT expired four years ago.

So he shouldn't be parked there if the vehicle is SORN but I thought, it's none of my business and not up to me to do anything about it.

However, I've now noticed he has been driving the van around on the road. The van had moved to another part of the car park this week, and another time I saw it actually driving on the main road in the town.

This is concerning as he obviously doesn't have insurance and the vehicle doesn't even have an MOT. I don't know if I should report this to the police, but obviously no one else in the town has bothered. What would you do?

OP posts:
Comedycook · 19/03/2023 13:33

Still there's always been snitches happy to do the dirty work of those in power. Ever thought about a job as a traffic warden op

Original poster
shadowkitty3 · 19/03/2023 13:35

Comedycook · 19/03/2023 13:33

Still there's always been snitches happy to do the dirty work of those in power. Ever thought about a job as a traffic warden op

Aren't you funny. Well not paying for parking or overstaying your ticket doesn't put anyone in danger.

A car driving on the road that doesn't have an MOT does?

OP posts:
Comedycook · 19/03/2023 13:36

Oh and if you think driving without an mot is immoral, you should see what the rich and powerful get up to.

Bepis · 19/03/2023 13:37

Good grief, there are nasty people on here towards OP.

Greenfairydust · 19/03/2023 13:40

Get a new hobby.

Preferably one that does no involved kicking down people who are already struggling and have next to nothing...

uhOhOP · 19/03/2023 13:52

Comedycook · 19/03/2023 13:32

Because that's the real problem in the world...poor people not doing what they're told by those in power. Then mindless, petty, forelock tuggers come along to grass them up for not being rich enough to follow the rules.

Makes me sick

What are you talking about? It's a simple matter of following a basic safety requirement. It literally costs £30 each year.

Those of you who are responding in this way – as though the man should be left to drive his potentially unroadworthy van because he's not yet mown anyone down – is it because you haven't properly read or thought about the OP and the situation it describes? Or is it because you feel you can't back down, so to speak, and admit that you've thought about it and can now see the moral and safety benefits of reporting this vehicle?

ExasperatedbyJanuary · 19/03/2023 13:55

AcornGreen · 19/03/2023 13:28

I think both you and OP need to keep your nose out of other people’s business.

Yes, I’ve lost a loved one in similar circumstances. No, it doesn’t make my opinion more valid that yours.

But I know all the amount of be kind virtue signaling in the world isn’t going to bring people back.

I also understand what it’s like to have a community of people poke their nose into people lives. Both my family life as the victim and the perpetrators life. I can tell you that a witch hunt isn’t the answer. Even if you don’t agree with them.

I’d like to think that both you and OP think you’re doing the right thing. But as you seem obsessive with me and my opinion, I don’t know if that’s true.

If you are genuinely fighting for the victims and want to hear from someone who has experience it then I stand by what I’ve said and keep out of it. If you just want to argue with someone online then I’m sorry you’ve chosen me today.

Show quote history

Well, I’m sorry for your loss.

Your posts make very little sense though. I don’t think it pays to be cryptic when people are being clear about their viewpoint, and it’s doubly unkind to then accuse people who’ve engaged with you in good faith as having wronged you in some way, expecting them to know stuff about you that you haven’t mentioned.

Snowsurprised · 19/03/2023 13:56

OP genuinely, do what feels right to you. It’s between you and your conscience and it’s you who has to live with themselves either way.

Comedycook · 19/03/2023 13:56

Weren't the government recently thinking of changing the law so an MOT would be required every two years rather than every year?

So currently it's absolutely disgusting and immoral if your mot is 14 months old...but if the government does change the law, it's no longer disgusting and immoral.

Righto....doff cap, tug forelock etc etc

melj1213 · 19/03/2023 14:32

Comedycook · 19/03/2023 13:56

Weren't the government recently thinking of changing the law so an MOT would be required every two years rather than every year?

So currently it's absolutely disgusting and immoral if your mot is 14 months old...but if the government does change the law, it's no longer disgusting and immoral.

Righto....doff cap, tug forelock etc etc

It's not disgusting and immoral if your actions put nobody else in danger ... The man in question has not had an MOT for 4 years, clearly doesn't have the money to be doing upkeep like buying tyres etc and apparently it is bad to want to report this to the authorities so they can ensure his car is safe to be on the road.

If the law changes to 2 years then all that means is the legal requirements have been reduced so they should, in theory, be even easier to follow because you have even longer to save up the £30 you need to MOT your vehicle.

Comedycook · 19/03/2023 14:49

Yeah my point was more theoretical but I see it was lost on you

Inject · 19/03/2023 15:19

Report it. The van is a danger to him and others. What if he couldn't put his brakes on as they've worn out? His homelessness is a separate issue. If he's got money for petrol then he has money for a MOT at least.

Inject · 19/03/2023 15:26

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Inject · 19/03/2023 15:28

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Comedycook · 19/03/2023 16:09

So many posters so keen to help the police do their job....

IneedanewTV · 19/03/2023 16:11

drpet49 · 18/03/2023 18:58

Wow, so everyone so far is happy for a vehicle ,without a valid MOT for 4 years, to be driven on public roads. It is a ticking timebomb.

Exactly this! Why should any of us bother then?
No MOT means the vehicle could be dangerous. But that’s fine as long as he doesn’t drive it outside your kids school?

Comedycook · 19/03/2023 16:18

Oh get over yourself with the outrage. Plenty of worse crimes being committed sometimes by serving police officers.

MayThe4th · 19/03/2023 16:26

Posters are so busy virtue signalling here that they seem to have lost sight of the reality.

This isn’t about someone living in their car which doesn’t have a MOT or insurance. This is about someone driving a potentially unroadworthy, uninsured car around, and given the high rate of addiction among the homeless population, very likely under the influence.

I guarantee that if a poster posted here that someone in her local community had had an accident while under the influence and killed a child and it was well known that he was driving his uninsured, unroadworthy car around the town posters would have jumped on her and questioned why she didn’t go to the police before he killed someone’s child.

Comedycook · 19/03/2023 16:29

I tell you what, when the met police finally sorts itself out and when Andrew sees the inside of a courtroom to stand trial for his alleged crimes, then I'll start snitching and grassing on my fellow citizens...until then...nah

MayThe4th · 19/03/2023 16:34

Comedycook · 19/03/2023 16:18

Oh get over yourself with the outrage. Plenty of worse crimes being committed sometimes by serving police officers.

What an idiotic response.

I mean my neighbour beat the shit out of his wife last week. But hey, Wayne Cousins murdered someone which is far worse so I didn’t bother reporting it.

After all, there are worse crimes, no?

At the moment driving around without insurance or an MOT, possibly even without a licence, under the influence is all very well while no-one has been hurt, but by reporting you are ensuring that it doesn’t get to that point.

Comedycook · 19/03/2023 16:39

And popping to a friend's during covid could have caused the virus to spread and someone might die.

Quick... report them!

sweeneytoddsrazor · 19/03/2023 16:42

What sort of person checks out vehicle car tax out of idle curiosity? Especially when you hadn't even seen it moving at that point, it wasn't outside your house, or interfering in any way.
You didn't do that out of some sort of faux concern about the driver having an accident. You are now using that concern to try and justify your nosiness.

DeadOrchid · 19/03/2023 16:50

Comedycook · 19/03/2023 16:29

I tell you what, when the met police finally sorts itself out and when Andrew sees the inside of a courtroom to stand trial for his alleged crimes, then I'll start snitching and grassing on my fellow citizens...until then...nah

Do you always set your bar so low?

Comedycook · 19/03/2023 16:52

I'm just not going to do the dirty work for the rich and powerful by shitting on the poorest in society.

ladygindiva · 19/03/2023 17:53

MayThe4th · 19/03/2023 16:26

Posters are so busy virtue signalling here that they seem to have lost sight of the reality.

This isn’t about someone living in their car which doesn’t have a MOT or insurance. This is about someone driving a potentially unroadworthy, uninsured car around, and given the high rate of addiction among the homeless population, very likely under the influence.

I guarantee that if a poster posted here that someone in her local community had had an accident while under the influence and killed a child and it was well known that he was driving his uninsured, unroadworthy car around the town posters would have jumped on her and questioned why she didn’t go to the police before he killed someone’s child.

So now by virtue of his homelessness we are assuming he is on drugs. Some of you lot are fucking unbelievable.

Swipe left for the next trending thread