A couple from Essex are devastated after bailiffs took away their £22,000 Mercedes over a tiny £35 fine they never knew about. Ravi Oak and Anu Apte had driven through a bus lane by mistake in Chelmsford back in November 2022, then immediately traveled to India for six months following a family tragedy.
While they were away grieving, the council sent a penalty notice to their empty home. The fine started at £35 but doubled to £70 when unpaid. Multiple letters piled up unopened at their address while they were overseas dealing with their family emergency.
Five months later, their worst nightmare came true. A friend checking on their house made a shocking discovery – the Mercedes was missing from their garage. Inside, they found a stack of unopened letters revealing the awful truth: bailiffs had taken the car because of the unpaid fine.
To add insult to injury, the couple later found out their car had been sold at auction for just £10,500 – less than half what it was worth. “We feel completely cheated,” Ravi said. “If we’d known about the fine, we would have paid it immediately. But we were dealing with a death in the family abroad.”
Anu explained the emotional toll: “People assume we were being difficult, but we simply didn’t know. The stress has been unbearable.” The couple are now taking legal action, arguing the council failed to properly notify them while they were overseas.
The council claims they followed procedure, sending five notices over four months before involving bailiffs. They say vehicle seizures are rare and most people pay before it gets to that stage. But for Ravi and Anu, that’s little comfort after losing their car over what started as a simple £35 mistake.
After two and a half years of fighting, the couple are preparing for a civil court battle to recover their losses. Their story highlights how easily things can spiral out of control when people fall through the cracks of bureaucracy.
