A London-based Ghanaian had his six-month-old BMW car towed away and crushed in a council blunder.
Albert Konadu’s silver vehicle broke down when he was driving home from work in Muswell Hill, London.
He steered the car to safety on double yellow lines when his engine failed at traffic lights on Fortis Green Road.
He then put a note on his window explaining what had happened and went in search of a mechanic.
When the father-of-two returned, his car had been taken away and demolished by Haringey Council.
Mr Konadu, from Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, has now been left £9,000 out of pocket, after the local authority refused to pay compensation despite admitting it was in the wrong.
The architectural assistant said: ‘Haringey Council have cheated me out of my money. It is so unfair, I cannot understand it.
‘They have accepted that I did nothing wrong, but they decided to scrap my car anyway. I am disgusted.
‘The whole episode has caused enormous strain on me and my family.
‘I have been hugely stressed out for more than a year. Where is the fairness? Where is the justice?’
His car broke down on June 18 last year. When he came back the next morning with help, the car was gone, so he immediately phoned the police as he thought they had removed.
Mr Konadu was told that the council had taken the car and it would cost £250 to release it.
The 56-year-old said: ‘I assumed the police had removed it and got straight on the phone to them.
‘When they told me it had been taken to the pound, I was stunned. Flabbergasted. I had tried to help make the road safe by moving it out of the way of traffic.
‘When I went to the pound they asked for £250 to release the car. I thought: “That can’t be right,” and appealed to the council to overturn the decision.’
But Haringey Council officials dismissed that appeal because Mr Konadu could not provide proof of MOT and insurance. These documents were stored in his inaccessible car.
He launched a second appeal but while it was being considered, the BMW – bought for £1,500 just six months earlier – was crushed without warning in November.
Mr Konadu said: ‘By this time the whole thing had cost me a fortune. I was having to use taxis to get around, I was stressed at home and in work.
‘If I had known how ridiculous it would all end up, I would have paid the £250, even if I shouldn’t have been fined in the first place.
‘I cannot describe how frustrating it has been. Every time I think about it, I get emotional and angry.’
A third appeal, in March this year, finally saw Haringey Council admit that it was wrong to issue the fine and formally cancelled the notice – despite his car already being history.
After requesting compensation in May, his demand was rejected, prompting him to contact parking expert and blogger Derek Dishman – known as Mr Mustard.
Mr Dishman said: ‘He’s entirely innocent and he’s lost his car. It’s a gross injustice and I’m not sure how the council thinks it will get away with acting so unreasonably.
‘I imagine it will end up in a courtroom.’
Mr Konadu, who has since bought a £3,700 Vauxhall Corsa, said he continue to fight to reclaim every penny the episode has cost him.
He said: ‘My insurers have refused to pay out and my whole life has been turned upside down by this.
‘What I am trying to reclaim from the council is £3,840, but it has cost me closer to £9,000. I will not stop until it is sorted.
‘I have suffered financially, mentally and emotionally as direct result of Haringey Council’s behaviour.
‘If I look back, the angrier and emotional I become over the injustice Haringey Council have displayed about the whole affair.
‘And the question that I keep brooding over and over again is: why should I be treated this way?’
A Haringey Council spokesperson said: ‘We are currently dealing with this matter and will be in touch with Mr Konadu.
‘It would be inappropriate to comment further until we have made contact with Mr Konadu.’
