A STOURPORT woman had to cough up £235 to get her car back after police took it away for forensic tests after it had been stolen.

Vicki Monk, 29, of Queen’s Road, was left stunned after learning she would be out of pocket as a result of reporting the theft.

She explained she had woken to find her car missing and, as “any normal person would do”, she called the police.

The vehicle was then found by her sister 400 yards away but she was “happy” when police were on the scene as it “meant they were taking the crime seriously”.

She said the police insisted the damaged car be taken away for forensic tests but explained that they did not inform her it would cost more than £200 to retrieve it.

According to the invoice, Miss Monk was charged a £150 “statutory removal fee” by police, then an extra £20 for overnight storage of her vehicle.

She was charged a further £65 for her car to be brought back to her house from Rogers Rescue garage in Kidderminster as it was undriveable.

Miss Monk, an assessment worker at a resource centre in Kidderminster, said: “I am unsure of who I am more angry with at present.

“I can’t decide between the low life who thought it would be fun to steal my car or the police who then robbed me of my savings to retrieve it.”

She added: “Is there any wonder people do not report crime when they are charged for the pleasure? I certainly won’t do in future, as I can’t afford their help.

“I understand the police have to follow procedure but it would have been nice to have been given the choice or at least made aware of the cost.”

Miss Monk added that she could have incurred further storage costs as the police did not contact her to say the forensic tests had been completed.

She explained her insurance would not cover the charges, as her excess was £250. She added she refused to lose a two-years no-claims bonus to recover a car that was found 400 yards from her home.

A spokesman for West Mercia Constabulary said that under force policy vehicles that had been stolen and abandoned were removed from the roadside to prevent further theft or damage.

Under the provisions of the Road Traffic Act, such removals were subject to a minimum statutory fee of £150, which was the responsibility of the vehicle’s registered keeper and their insurers.

If forensic examination was also required, then a statutory storage fee of £20 a day would also be charged after the vehicle was no longer needed.

In those circumstances, the registered keeper should be given 24 hours’ notice to collect the vehicle before incurring storage charges.

The spokesman added: “Normally, it is the car owner’s responsibility to organise collection and we understand that, on this occasion, the £65 fee charged for this was a private arrangement between Miss Monk and the garage concerned.

“Under force policy she should have been informed beforehand about her obligations in respect of the statutory fees for removal of the vehicle and storage.

“If she has any issues about this then we would ask her to contact our operations support vehicle recovery officer who deals with such matters on a case by case basis.”