An investigation conducted by British publication The Sunday Telegraph reveals that UK motorists who are unfortunate enough to lose their cars to the hands of thieves are required to pay what authorities call recovery and storage charges.
One example is Harry Wright, whose stolen car was recovered by police and put back in the garage of the rightful owner only after he was asked to pay GBP150 as a recovery fee and an extra 20 for storage.
And this is only the tip of the iceberg, the source says, as thousands of people are asked to pay around GBP150,000-GBP195,000 a year for police services.
The money, say the authorities, can be then recovered from insurers, but this hasn't stopped motoring groups from asking for a change in legislation.
"The motorist is paying through the nose for everything now. This seems to add insult to injury. We appreciate there is a cost for vehicle recovery but the Government needs to see if there is a fairer system," an RAC spokeswoman told The Telegraph.
Until that happens, police are doing their best to ask nicely. According to an unnamed police spokeswoman, officers, when they have enough time, write to owners and alert them they would have to pay some cash should the car be recovered.
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