It is every van driver’s worst nightmare...your van gets stolen and then you get charged for illegally parking it!

That is exactly what happened to James Taylor, 29, from Bristol, who has been ordered to appear in court and threatened with prison time for blocking a residential drive in Kingswood, despite it being stolen.

Mr Taylor reported his Ford Transit as being stolen and then police contacted him after finding it. He later received a court summons six months after the offence, ordering him to pay fines or face possible jail time.

He was charged £45 this week for causing unnecessary obstruction by a motor vehicle. To add salt into the wound, he was also charged £90 for failure to display his vehicle licence – even though his van was stolen before he could put the new tax disc in.

Mr Taylor had to pay an extra £350 for his van to be towed and fixed. He said he has lost all faith in the authorities: “I can't put it into words. It is enough to ruin lives. I reported my van stolen and the next thing I knew was that I needed to pay £135 or I could be arrested and possibly sent to prison. I have been made a criminal myself here.”

Catherine Foster of Avon and Somerset police said: “It is quite common for stolen vehicles to be damaged, in which case recovery needs to be arranged.

“In nearly all cases the cost of recovery and storage after a theft can be claimed back through the driver's van insurance. If Mr Taylor is not happy we would advise him to make a formal complaint.”