Hi, At the beginning of October 2014 I decided to scrap the car I was then driving, as it was basically falling apart. It was taxed and MOT'd at the time. I contacted what I believed to be a reputable car scrapping company to come and pick the car up from my parents' drive - parking where I live is a nightmare -they did so - (my father even recorded it in his diary it was such a memorable even for him..) The car was duly picked up at the start of October - the company web-site said they would do all the necessary DVLA stuff - and to my mind that was that. Fast forward a couple of months - and I started getting 'reminders' from the DVLA that I was still the Registered Keeper (RK) etc.. At first I phoned them up to explain what happened - but this did not seem to resolve the issue. At last, in late April early May, I read the reminder properly and saw the bit about writing to the DVLA to confirm that I was no longer the RK. I did so mid-May - but did not send this letter recorded or special delivery.. To cut to the chase - I have just received a Form 144 APR 'Requisition' to appear before a Magistrate's Court - miles from where I live. The case being put forward by the DVLA is that I did not acknowledge that I was the RK of said vehicle before 12/06/15. I am pretty annoyed about this - as I don't see what I have done to deserve the requisition. I have tried to contact the scrapping company I used - but they were not helpful - I gave them the V5 doc when they took the car for scrapping... All I have is my word against the DVLA - I've half a mind to plead not guilty and ask for the case to be moved to a Magistrates Court nearer where I live. My worry is how to plead not guilty in front of court - as I am sure that the DVLA will have a brief to represent them.. By the way - jus to make things clear - I understand that I should have received acknowledgement from the DVLA to my letter stating that I am no longer the RK of this vehicle. To this date - I have not received any such acknowledgement from the DVLA.. Any advice?

Hi all, first post here following a visit to court this morning I wanted to thank those of you who have published your stories as it was both informing and reassuring while researching my case & I also wanted to pass on what happened. Briefly I was being fined for lack of insurance on a vehicle which had been in the possession of a dealer for five months prior to the date stated, but all correspondence was sent to my old address it reached court level without my knowledge, first I knew was the arrival of a payment demand which funnily found the correct address! one statutory declaration later, the first case was closed & a new one opened with six weeks given for me to try to sort it out of court. I sent the dvla full explanation, letter from the garage, copy of the declaration etc & waited, this morning I was out chasing the postman to see if the reply which they say they have sent but can't 'discuss by phone' would appear before I set off to court but it hadnt so defence in hand I spent the morning waiting to be called, finally went in to be asked if I was still pleading not guilty? Yes. If I had traveled from home, yes, If I worked/childcare etc yes followed by the fact that they had no prosecutor! That I should go buy a lottery ticket & my case was dismissed! So happy to have avoided going through it all and relieved to be free from conviction but at same time I wanted to prove myself innocent rather than win by default & feel indignant that my time was wasted while I presume they did not organise a prosecuter? although the court offered travel expenses it doesn't compensate for the amount of stress that I've gone through fighting this or the time off to attend. my question to those of you still reading is this, how do I now stop the enforcement office chasing me? Despite the court notifying them that my statutory declaration was accepted for the original case they appear to have no record of this & have continued to send letters and tell me they will be bringing in the bailiffs on Monday! Now the new case has also been dismissed are the dvla & enforcement office going to register/accept this? Before leaving I told the magistrates that I was still being persude & their only answer was that the court has/would tell them & if still harass me tell them to contact court directly, trouble is I tried that last week for the closed case and they wouldn't listen! So happy days cases dismissed but I have a strong feeling this is not the end of my battle.

Hi, I've recently bought a 50cc moped with a valid MOT certificate and also vehicle TAX (which was the previous owner's only). The tax which the previous owner had was still valid on the DVLA vehicle check website for another 2-3 months, so I didn't renew it for myself (as in the new owner) because I still hadn't insured the bike and went on a holiday for 3 weeks to a different country. I'm only 16 and this is my first ever vehicle which I have bought a month ago, so I didn't know that I have to tax it within 14 days! Yesterday, I went on the DVLA vehicle check website again and it said that the vehicle is untaxed from 5th July which was when I bought the 50cc scooter. I immediately then contacted one of my family members (who where in the UK) to TAX my 50cc for the next 12 months. The vehicle, according to DVLA, wasn't taxed for more than a month, meaning that they will contact me in the next week regarding this one month 'gap'. I'll definitely receive a £80 (or £40) fine for this in the next few days for not making a SORN/taxing the vehicle like one of my family members have for not doing the same on their first car. Is there any way I could write to them and somehow not pay the fine? This is my first vehicle and I didn't know that I have to tax it/make a sorn. And also, is the fine the same for a scooter, just like for a car (£80/£40)? Thanks.

Hi All, I hope someone can help Recently I have been chased by the Credit Agy for £80.0 Late Licensing Penalty for a vehicle that I had already sold. I dispute that I owe anything -- as the car was sold before the tax ran out AND I sent the correct notification. This is the timeline of events: 1. 22nd December 2014 I sold it the vehicle on part exchange to Westover Dealership 2. 29th December 2014 the V5 registration document was sent to the DVLA (not registered) 3. 31st December 2014 – Tax Ran out 4. 11th March 2015 – an Auctions house sold the vehicle on the Westover’s behalf 5. 30th March 2015 – I received an Acknowledgement Letter from the DVLA 6. 10th May 2015 – I received a letter from Rossendales demanding £80.0 7. 18th May 2015 – I wrote to Rossendales denying that anything was owed. 8. 3rd June 2015 – having been telephoned by Rossendales – I wrote directly to the DVLA 9. 24th June 2015 – having heard nothing & hassled by Rossendales – I rang the DVLA – who denied receiving any letter 10. 25th June 2015 – I wrote again to the DVLA (Registered) 11. 2nd July 2015 – I received a letter from the DVLA – Computer Generated & Generic stating that their decision is correct. 12. Mid July 2015 – I rang & requested a form V991 – for formal dispute (none is available online) it has not yet arrived. I can provide the following documentation: Bill of Sale to Westover on 22nd December 2014. * A Statement from Westover that they were legal possession of the Vehicle from the 22nd December 2014 until the 11th March 2015 – when it was sold by Marnham Auctions. My understanding is that as the owners of the Vehicle at that time when the Tax ran out – Westover should have either made a SORN declaration or taxed it themselves. Observation: a. I have never received a letter from DVLA for the Late Licensing Penalty – Only from Rossendales. b.The DVLA have lost two letters – the original yellow section of V5 registration document sent on the 29th December 2014 & my letter of complaint dated 3rd June 2015 c. My problem is that I didn’t notice that I did not receive an acknowledgement from DVLA until March. As I am now receiving a court summons from Rossendales – have I got a chance if this went to Court? Thanks in advance

THE DVLA is to overhaul its new computerized system for driving licences following chaos as holidaymakers tried to hire cars abroad. Last month, when the UK scrapped paper licences, drivers had to access the DVLA website and obtain a code to prove they were legal to drive, yet the code was only valid for three days. This left drivers trying to hire a car more than three days into holidays having to search for somewhere to get online or run up roaming charges by connecting from mobile phones, leading to a flood of complaints. Now the DVLA has announced it will change the system so codes last for three weeks, expected to cover most holidays this summer. http://www.euroweeklynews.com/3.0.15/news/on-euro-weekly-news/uk-news/130898-dvla-changes-tune-following-car-hire-chaos

I had a stroke in december 2014 and wasn't told that i had to tell dvla, didnt even enter my mind to be honest as i was paralyzed down left side and had no thoughts of driving. After six months of rehabilitation I am now fit enough to drive again but my problem is.... do i need to still inform dvla even if as my doc says im now perfectly capable.

Hi guys I had my direct debit set up for tax. DVLA took first payment Monday 11th but wasn't due until thurs 14th. DD failed and now they have cancelled tax. I have a letter ready to send to them and my back regarding DD guarantee. Please see below for the correspondence etc Should i send anything else? Thanks Name Address 1 Address 2 Address 3 Address 4 Postcode Dear Sir, Account number: Sort Code: Company Name: DVLA Reference: Amount: Date The Direct Debit detailed above, has been deducted from my account on a date other than that agreed with the organisation Under the terms of the Direct Debit Guarantee, please re-credit my account accordingly and confirm in writing once you have done so. I have copied this letter to DVLA for their information. Yours faithfully, Cc DVLA Failure to tax vehicle: Dear Your Direct Debit has failed and you have not made an alternative payment therefore the tax is now void. You must now pay a penalty of £80 by 11/08/15, reduced to £40 if paid by 19/07/15 and the arrears of duty of £15.00 How to pav • By phone on 0300 790 6808 with a debit card or credit card, Lines are open Monday to Friday 9am5pm. This is a payment line only; you cannot dispute this offence by phone. • By post, send a cheque or postal order payable to DVLA. Write the vehicle registration number on the back of any payment and return it to the above address, together with this letter. To avoid any further enforcement action you must also tax the vehicle or make a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN). You can Tax or SORN your vehicle online at http://www.gov.uk/vehicletax or by phoning 0300 123 4321. You must have your vehicle registration certificate (V5C) reference number to do this. Alternatively, you can tax at a Post Office@ branch that deals with tax using your V5C, insurance certificate for vehicles registered with a Northern Ireland address, fee and MOT if applicable. If you no longer have the vehicle you must inform us immediately by using the registration document or the back of this letter. You must still pay the penalty but do not need to tax or make a SORN. You should also complete the back of the letter if you have evidence to support a dispute. Failure to pay may result in one or more of the followinq actions: • Your vehicle could be one of the 50,000 we clamp or seize each year. • The debt will be passed to a Debt Recovery Agency, Yours sincerely Enforcement Officer On behalf of the Secretary of State for Transport Sent unsigned INVESTORS IN PEOPLE FDSN2 Driver & Vehicle Licensing Agency Dear Sir/Madam Failed Direct Debit Vehicle Registration Number: The Direct Debit to tax the above vehicle has been returned unpaid. You now need to apply to tax the vehicle another way. It must be kept off the road until you have done this. If you have already done this in the last few days no further action is needed. If you do not tax the vehicle you must keep it off the road and make a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN). If you no longer have the vehicle you need to tell us. If you have already told us that you have sold or transferred the vehicle or made a SORN we will send you an acknowledgement within 4 weeks. If you have received this acknowledgement you do not need to contact us as this confirms we have updated our records, If you have not received it, phone us on 0300 790 6802. Yours sincerely John Hewson Vehicles Service Manager To get vehicle tax or to make a SORN online or by phone: go online at http://www.gov.uk/vehicletax or phone 0300 123 4321 You will need the reference number shown on your Vehicle Registration Certificate (V5C). If you cannot or do not wish to get vehicle tax online or by phone, go to a Post Office" branch that deals with vehicle tax. Take: your V5C the vehicle's MOT (if it needs one), and a valid Certificate of insurance or cover note for vehicles registered with a Northern Ireland address. By law, all drivers must be covered by motor insurance when they use a motor vehicle on the road or in any other public place. If you need more information go to: http://www.gov.uk/browse/driving Reference number: Please make a note of this reference for any future contact with the DVLA. Payment schedule instalment number Payment date Payment amount 1 14/05/2015 £15.75 2 01/06/2015 £15.75 3 01/07/2015 £15.75 4 03/08/2015 £15.75 5 01/09/2015 £15.75 6 01/10/2015 £15.75 7 02/11/2015 £15.75 8 01/12/2015 £15.75 9 04/01/2016 £15.75 10 01102/2016 £15.75 11 01103/2016 £15.75 12 01/04/2016 £15.75 Total Amount Payable: £189.00 If any of the above instalment details are incorrect please call us as soon as possible on 0300 790 6802. We are open 8am to 7ptTl Monday to Friday and 8am to 2pm on Saturday. Otherwise, no further action is required and your Direct Debit will be processed as normal. • be-de.t.eçhed änd reiåf.nad by: fhe påyerx•. DIRECT Debit Guarantee accepi instructions to pay Direct Debits Debit DVLA will notify you 10 working days in advance of your account collect a payment, confirmation 01 the amount and date will be given to you at the time or your bank or building socioty, you are entitled to a full and irnrnediate refund of tho baok when DVI.A asks you to your bank or building society. Written confirmation may be required Please also notify us. The Direct This Guarantee is offered by all banks and building societies • If there are any changes to the amount. date or frequency of being debited or as otherwise agreed. If you request DVLA of the request • If an error is made in the payment of your Dlzect Debit, by amount paid from your bank or building society If you receive a refund you are not entitled to, you must pay • You can cancel a Direct Debi* at any iime by simpty contacting !hat your DVCA

Experienced motorists are being wrongly stripped of their entitlements, then find themselves unable to prove they ever passed their tests because the agency has deleted its records We've had these complaints on here. I've posted this article in full in case it disappears from the newspaper: For the past four months Shane Rae has been living under the threat of having his driving licence taken away – yet he has committed no offence and his 30-year driving record is unblemished. He has even been forced to retake his driving test and take on a solicitor to fight his cause. And the reason for all this? Rae, 45, moved house and sent his licence to the DVLA to amend his address. It was returned minus his entitlement to ride a motorcycle – and when he complained he was warned that his car licence would be revoked as well because the government agency had no record of his qualification to ride a motorbike or drive a car. Rae is one of hundreds of motorists who have found themselves stranded after sending their licence to the DVLA to have it amended, only to be confronted with a demand that they provide proof that they passed their test, even if they took it decades ago. He says the whole experience has left him feeling like a character in a Kafka novel – and adds that even the clout of the prime minister, who happens to be his local MP, hasn’t succeeded in getting the department to see sense. The DVLA is already in the doghouse with many motorists after a new online system that affects people hiring a car was plagued by technical hitches earlier this month, and the emergence of this latest problem will only add to the pressure on the agency. Rae told Guardian Money that he exchanged his Canadian licence for a full UK one in 2000 after submitting all the required evidence from the Canadian authorities, “and since then I haven’t incurred so much as a parking ticket”. He adds: “When I complained about the missing motorcycle entitlement the DVLA told me it destroys supporting documentation for applications after 10 years and that it could therefore find no proof that I was ever entitled to drive, despite in a separate letter confirming that it had scrutinised my documents when amending my licence in 2004. “I was told I would have to request evidence of my entitlements from the Canadian authorities – yet in the same breath the DVLA admits that Canadian driving records are destroyed if they remain dormant for more than 10 years.” It turns out that Rae is far from alone. Paul Chapman, who runs a motorcycle training school, was one of the first to realise something was amiss after receiving dozens of calls from motorcyclists who’d had their entitlements removed after updating their licence. “I’ve had couriers and HGV drivers come to me who have lost their jobs because of this, and 50-year-old bikers who have had a licence for 20 years until they applied to update it,” he says. In its response to a freedom of information request submitted by Chapman, the DVLA insists it retains all driving entitlements on computer and microfiche, and destroys only the licence applications after a 10-year period. The trouble is, it is the also-destroyed supporting documents provided alongside these applications that the DVLA insists on viewing when querying the validity of long-held licences – and the onus is on the motorist to provide them. Chapman says: “I have had to create cheap, quick ways for these guys to take their test again in order to apply for a new licence, but you’re still looking at around £600. The DVLA’s attitude is that it never makes mistakes, and that if a driving entitlement drops off your licence it is up to you to prove that you ever took a test, when it is its job to store all that information. It’s almost worth getting a speeding fine every three years so that the police have a record of your licence.” In the case of Rae, who works in publishing and lives in Oxfordshire, he has spent well in excess of £1,000 on retests and legal fees. His solicitor persuaded the DVLA to delay revoking his licence, which could have jeopardised his job, until he could retake his test. “The DVLA was in effect saying it was happy for me to carry on driving, even though it insists I don’t have a valid licence,” he says. However, he then discovered that possessing a full licence disqualified him from taking a driving test. “The DVLA confirmed there is no way for me to take the test again unless it takes away my licence, so it has revoked it again for its computer system to then allow me to book a new test to replace the documents it admits it has seen but since destroyed,” he says. Rae adds that David Cameron has written to the agency on his behalf three times, “which as far as his office is concerned is unprecedented”. There are fears the problems will worsen now the paper part of the licence has been abolished, along with tax discs, leaving motorists at the mercy of the agency’s digital records. The DVLA has an online service that allows people to view their driving record – for example, vehicles they can drive and any penalty points and disqualifications – but this does not include historical information about previous entitlements, so it will be no use to those who are suddenly required to produce evidence of decades-old qualifications in order to keep their licence. Another driver caught up in this is Steve Sylvester, 51, who lives in Derby and held an HGV licence and a motorcycle entitlement until he sent his paper licence to be swapped for a photocard in April. He was reissued with a provisional car licence. It is almost worth getting a speeding fine every three years so that the police have a record of your licence “I have held a full licence for 25 years and, as I worked as a security driver for Barclays, it had to be vetted by the police, who found no problem with it,” he says. “I sent the DVLA the make and model of the car I took my test in, as well as the name of the instructor and the driving school, but they demanded the test certificate that I sent them 35 years ago. My job was on the line because I need to be able to drive, so I had to pay £200 to take my driving test again and apply for a new licence.” Meanwhile, it was a speeding fine that alerted Dave Knox, a 64-year-old teacher from Merseyside, to the fact his motorcycle entitlement had been omitted from a replacement licence. “I passed my test in 1972, but had to apply for a replacement licence when I lost the original on holiday,” he says. “A few years later I got pulled for speeding and the police confiscated my bike because it turned out the replacement licence didn’t include my motorcycle entitlement. When I complained to the DVLA, it told me I’d never passed my test.” Knox received a court summons for riding a motorbike while unqualified, but his driving record provided by the DVLA was so full of errors – “it even suggested I’d had three licence changes in one day, which is an impossibility” – that the court ruled in his favour and his motorcycle entitlement was restored. “I got no compensation for being unable to ride my bike to work for six months, or for the £150 I had to spend insuring someone else to ride it from the police compound,” he says. The DVLA told Money that it cannot issue licences in “good faith” alone. It declines to discuss individual circumstances, but says that in Rae’s case information came to light from Canada that cast doubt on his entitlement to drive. This information, according to the DVLA’s letters to Rae, is the fact that Canadian driving records are destroyed after 10 years of dormancy, so it can’t re-examine his certificate which allowed it to issue his UK licence in the first place. The agency says it never removes valid entitlements and that rare errors are quickly corrected by checking its computer records. In 2010 it estimated that 2% of drivers’ records contained errors that were the fault of the DVLA, and between 2008 and 2010 it received 285 complaints that entitlements had gone missing. These figures are the most recent it has published. The problem for motorists who reach an impasse with the agency’s customer services is that it is difficult to lodge a complaint with an independent third party. The DVLA can refer unresolved complaints to the Department for Transport’s independent complaints assessor (ICA), but motorists can’t apply for mediation directly, and the ICA only dealt with 93 DVLA complaints between 2013 and 2014. The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman also looks at complaints, but unhappy drivers have to ask their MP to contact the service on their behalf – which doubtless explains why the ombudsman has only taken on 14 complaints about the DVLA in the past 12 months. That is up from two in 2013, and a solitary investigation in 2012. The ombudsman itself is dissatisfied with the system. “It’s very difficult for consumers to complain,” a spokesperson says. “We receive a lot of inquiries from people unhappy with their experience with the DVLA, but the vast majority haven’t approached us via their MP, so we have to redirect them, which whittles the numbers down a lot. We’ve been campaigning for years to make the process easier, and welcome the government’s proposals for a single public service ombudsman.”

Forgive me if this comes across as long winded or angsty but I could do with some advice. I still feel sick to the stomach thinking about it. I had an accident in my car on Friday just gone. My fault, I ran into the back of someone, which I admitted was my fault straight away. After speaking to the insurance company, they're going down the total loss route as my car is 12 years old and with the damage it's probably beyond economical repair. They're saying they will inform the DVLA once they have had the engineers report to say it's being written off. I've asked them what happens with the V5C, do I need to send it to the DVLA or do they? They've said the salvage yard it has been to will send me a letter with a prepaid envelope to send the paper work to and they will sort it out. I don't know why, but I have a niggly feeling that I can't get rid of that something will go wrong. I suppose I am just looking for some advice really. Do I find out from the insurance company where my car is being held so I can give the storage facility the V5C myself, get them to fill it in and I post it to the DVLA so I know it's been posted? Do I contact the DVLA and make them aware of what's happening, so there's no comebacks on me, i.e. car tax reminders etc. Sorry, I just feel so gutted and worked up, so would appreciate some advice please. Thanks in advance.

Hi, I've ordered a provisional license about 2 weeks ago and within the next 3-4 days after ordering it, I've received a letter in order to send back my passport, photo, signature etc. So I've sent it back on Friday and they've received it on Saturday morning (from what the royal mail tracking thingy says) and just wondering if anyone knows how long it would take them to send back my passport since I need it ASAP to get other things done as well. Also, if anyone has also sent their passport for them to verify, did you include an empty envelope for the special 1 day delivery with your address on it, for them to send back your passport? Did they even send back your documents in the envelope you've attached or did they send them back in a completely different one? Thanks

I bought a new car from a dealer at the end of November 2014 and part exchanged my old car. The dealer got me to sign the V5 and advised that they would register that they were the new owner. I also posted my section with a request for refund of road tax to end of March 2015. I didn't receive any notification from the DVLA but to be honest I didn't realise I was supposed to. I work away a lot and it slipped my mind that I hadn't received a refund either. I didn't get a tax reminder in March, which would have made me query the situation. The first I've known about it was a letter with an £80 fine, a demand for tax owed and a demand that I tax the vehicle. As far as I'm concerned I don't owe the tax and I can't buy a tax disc for a vehicle I don't own, have no registration document for, no insurance and no MOT. The DVLA are refusing to have a telephone conversation with me and, aside from the fine, I'm concerned that penalties etc may have been incurred in my name if they still have me as the registered keeper. I can't believe the vehicle doesn't have a new owner as it was only on an 08 plate and very saleable. The dealer advised they were going to put it into auction. Does anyone have any advice on how to deal with this or have had success in getting the fine written off in similar circumstances? TIA

Hi all I'm thinking of applying for a Pcv provisonal licence to drive a bus , but I know you have to have a medical I just wanted to know do you think I would have problems obtaining licence if I had Ecg 6 years ago I was on medication for 6 months but was taken off it If anyone has info to help me it would be appreciated

I have booked my summer holidays in Spain, also made a reservation to hire a car for the duration. Just discovered that as of 8th June 2015 the DVLA are scrapping the paper counterpart of the UK drivers licence. This will have an enormous impact on everyone who wants to hire a car either at home or abroad. ............This is the first I have heard of this: Check it out; https://www.gov.uk/government/news/driving-licence-changes If this goes ahead...............you will have to get all this information before hiring any vehicle. Any Thoughts?

Hi had my medical today to get my licence bavk and i rarely drink now so the dr said i should be fine with the gamma levels on my test but on the questionaire i said i take coke one or twice a year and the last time was a quater of a gram 4 weeks ago so im wondering if i will pass my medical on the drinking side of things but will i get asked to go back for a urine test?i know i will pass the urtine test if i need to....but do people think i will need to do one on the basis iof being a cocaine user once or twice a year

I hope I've posted this in the right section. Long story short. Friend had a barny with his misses and cops were called. He was bailed on a condition that he does not speak with her or go near their shared house. He had no key or documents for the car, which was left at the house. Car runs out of tax/insurance and the DVLA take the car away. Car is subject to a finance agreement. He assumes the DVLA would have notified him as the registered keeper but obviously his ex never passed it on. (He never notified the DVLA of a change of address as he was living out of a black bin bag at various friends houses). So fast forward six months and the Finance Company coming looking for the car which was lifted. Would the DVLA have to carry out a HPI check on the car, and also notify the Finance Company, before crushing? He is convinced it has been crushed.

My lad received in the post an advise and information booklet on keeping his motorcycle safe and secure, sent by the local police. He had recently just brought the scooter, and had only ridden it a half dozen times and had not been stopped as it was Taxed, MOT'd and Insured. I was told that the local police force buy the information from the DVLA and wondered if this was true? As that being a Council Tax Payer, a proportion of the Tax goes to my local force. Having waited 8 days for them (the police) to come out after having a brick through my window, I find myself wondering if this is one of the reasons why in the last 9 months I HAVE NEVER SEEN A POLICE OFFICER ON THE STREETS LOCALLY! Why should we be paying the police to pay the DVLA for data that must be covered by the data Protection Act?? While I have no issues had he been stopped for an offence, I seriously think this money would have been better spent on having a viseable police presence on the street. I have had all sorts of worthless junk mail from the police of late and even received Victim Support correspondence long before an officer turned up. I wonder if the other member's on here agree that it's about time to put a stop on government department's selling on our personnel information.

A member of a religion called the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster is lodging an appeal against the DVLA for not allowing him to be pictured wearing a colander on his head. A musician has accused the DVLA of discrimination after his driving licence photo was rejected because of the 'religious' head-gear he was wearing - a colander. Ian Harris, 51, is a member of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster - a 'religion' also known as Pastafarianism - that regards colanders as sacred headwear. Mr Harris has lodged a third appeal against the DVLA after it refused to accept the picture of him wearing the kitchen utensil in his driving licence photo. His so-called faith, which is widely considered as legitimate, is a light-hearted take on religion which opposes the teaching of creationism and intelligent design. It believes Fridays are national holidays, pirates were the original 'pastafarians', and that beer should be celebrated. The religion argues that belief in a flying spaghetti monster is just as valid as any other - although critics claim it is just a parody religion. However, in April 2013 a court ruling was overturned in Poland, allowing the church to apply to be registered as an official religion. Mr Harris, from Hove, East Sussex, says he was "insulted" by the DVLA after their response to his driving licence application implied it would damage their credibility. "Who are they to decide which religions are true or valid?,” asked Mr Harris. “Our religion is a minority, but the DVLA is discriminating because it allows people who practice major religions to wear headgear in pictures. "The letters implied the picture would damage the DVLA’s credibility because the religion has a comic element to it, which I found insulting. "Other church members have been very supportive of my complaint, and have said the headgear is allowed in photos in other countries." A letter from the DVLA said: "Unfortunately the decision remains the same and you will be required to make a new application for a driving licence with an appropriate photograph. "You will appreciate that we must work within a framework set by law and the decisions we make have to be in line with the relevant legislation, therefore, we may not always be able to meet your expectations." Mr Harris, who plays the banjo for successful busking band The Iron Boot Scrapers, based in Brighton, East Sussex, has no intention of submitting a new picture. He said: "I will continue to fight the good fight for our savoury Lord. I have checked, and their guidelines do not say I cannot wear my colander." A DVLA spokesman said guidelines on acceptable photographs were the same as those issued by Her Majesty’s Passport Office.

Driving licences will go paperless from June as the government continues to press ahead with plans to take more service online. For the past 17 years drivers have had to keep two parts of a driving licence: one a sheet of paper detailing their penalty points and endorsements, and the other a plastic ID card. The government has decided to phase out the paper element of the licence. "The reason for abolishing the counterpart is to reduce the burden on motorists,” a government spokesperson explained. "For most drivers there simply isn’t a need to have this information on a piece of paper when it is now freely and easily available online. It also saves drivers from paying £20 to replace a lost or damaged counterpart," they told the Plymouth Herald. When are the changes coming into effect? Earlier this year minister announced that all paper counterparts to licences would no longer be valid after 8th June this year. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) are also advising all drivers to destroy their paper counterparts. If my licence was issued before 1998 do I need to get a new licence? No. Your licence will still be valid and does not need to be replaced, until it is due for renewal. "The next time you need to update your name, address or renew your licence, you will be issued with a photocard only," a DVLA spokesperson told The Daily Telegraph. How will I check my driving record? All of your details – and the details of Britain’s approximately 30 million motorists – will be compiled on an online database that you will be able to access. The decision is part of the government’s “Red Tape Challenge”. The site, launched last year, is available here but those who wish can still request their records either by telephone or post. I’m a business owner and employer. How will these changes affect me? A similar site for employers, allowing them to check the driving details of possible employees, is planned for launch at some point in spring this year. A date for the launch has not yet been released.

Hello All, I'm writing in hope that some one can provide some advise and guidance. Today we have received a requisition request from the courts to attend court in April for failing to notify the DVLA of 'Change of vehicle ownership' However, we have the acknowledgment letter and reference number from the DVLA confirming receipt and notification of details being updated on DVLA Records. Obviously we are going to make contact with the DVLA, should we also send a copy of the above to the Designated Officer at the courts? What if DVLA contest despite us having proof? Thanks for your time, we look forward to reading your replies.. Regards Geoff

Hi Guys, I have an issue where I have been summoned to court for not sending my driving license to dvla. I was offered a fixed penalty for a speeding offence. I paid the £100.00 fine online and sent my documents off to dvla to be endorsed as requested. Sometime later I then got a summons to court for a date in March. I contacted the fixed penalty office to query why this was as I have proof I had paid the fine. They replied saying that they hadn't received my documents, even though I had sent them via royal mail on the same day. They said I would have to attended court and plead my case, if I lose it will increase to 6 points and up too £1000 fine. I have today applied for a new license as I need this for work. Please can someone advise me what to do

Will try to be brief: Bought a car circa 7 weeks ago for £2000. Dealer gave me a receipt. Also gave ME the entire V5 to fill in and send off! Within days I thought that there were issues with the car. I had filled in the V5...but did not send off. I figured at this point (perhaps somewhat misguided?) that if the dealer refused to carry out repair work to make the car right....I might stand a better chance of getting a refund and giving the car back if I told him he could have the V5 back - tipex my details - and so hence not record another owner on it - who then would look like he was selling it on within weeks of buying! I took the car back to dealer and complained saying he needed to put things right. Have since had it back to dealer with various different issues - multiple times. Work has been done - but are still issues. Dealer has just now had car again for a few days - and has just informed me that he is going to give me a full refund. I'm wondering about the V5 thing now. If I go in and tell him i never sent the V5 off - ask for my money back as he has said - and ensure V5 is tipexed and my details gone - is this ok? Any possible risks? Via DVLA or any other way? I have had the car insured in my name and taxed since buying it. Any recommendations on what to do? Sorry if this is foolish...just suddenly got concerned.

Don't really know where to start here, but about 3 years ago I quit drinking, I wasn't a full blown alcoholic but I'll admit I wasn't far off I'd binge drink a lot 3/4 times a week it helped me feel better. Any way I quit lost weight fought to make myself better and was going great, now I'm still not great at mixing with people so I thought well maybe driving a lorry would be a good option as I would be on my own a lot of the time. So I went to the Dr to see what he thought and he was fine with it, he left the room briefly and I looked at his computer screen and noticed he put down I was still binge drinking I quizzed him about it and and told him straight I'd stopped binge drinking three years ago. He said he couldn't change it but would note I'd stopped drinking fair enough I thought. So I called the DVLA to ask if my past drinking would be a problem they sent out a questionnaire and the next thing I know they took my car licence off me! Said because it was clear id had a drinking problem in the last 12 months. So I went back to the Dr and he pointed out the other Dr had wrote ''informed me he Stopped drinking October 2014' on my medical records and that Perhaps the DVLA had assumed up until October 2014 I was still drinking. So he asked me to take a blood test to check my gamma GT I did and it came back normal so I thought that'll be it, I said to the Dr now you just need to clear up the mistake and they'll give me my licence back, he said no they have their own rules so I'll just send them your updated blood results. And here I am stuck waiting and the Dr and DVLA refuse to acknowledge there's been a mistake. I can't afford court action what can I do?

Hello all I am new to the site and was looking for advice on this matter. I am a motor trader and was using a vehicle with valid trade plates displayed. For some reason it was picked up by a camera as 'untaxed' The DVLA sent a letter asking for a fine, to which I replied explaining that the vehicle was using trade plates. They do not seem to have received my response and have now taken the matter to court. I have now written to them again but they have not yet responded. My problem is that the court date is approaching and I am now not sure what to do. Does anybody have any advise on this? Many thanks in advance

Hello, I am ever so slightly angry with dvla, I was banned for dd 8 years ago, I was banned for 4 years but only in the past 12 months have I tried to get it back! I went for my medical, and they asked if I smoke cannabis, I told them that I used to, but stopped around 5 months ago, my medical was sent to dvla and they revoked it for persistent drug miss use in the past 6 months, really I had smoked it once in 6 months are they for real. Second 6 months later I go back for another medical, do you smoke cannabis, no I do not smoke cannabis, medical sent to dvla, comes back revoked due to persistent drug miss use in the past 6 months. Now I honestly do not smoke weed any more, however there is a group of us meet up every 2 weeks to have a lads night, playstation etc, we all used to smoke weed, but only 2 of us do now, is it possible that I am failing due to passive smoking, I got a job in the understanding I will have my licence in the next 2 months, I told this to dvla, but they still revoked my licence, and I lost my job!! I am a very fit man, I have passed 3 offshore medicals in the past 2 years, and my own doctor said I was fit to drive, is there anything I can do, ??

Hi, Been living in Canada for 2 years and had a seizure 14months ago. I did not send my UK license back as I wasn't driving and didn't have a car. My license is up for renewal and I need to complete a medical form. I am worried I will be fined £1000. What will happen?