Man who abandoned broken down Land Rover to grit icy roads angry as 4x4 is towed

The man's Land Rover was removed late at night after he abandoned it on the M4 after it broke down in the snow. Credit: getreading

A man whose 4x4 broke down on the motorway during heavy snow and freezing temperatures says it was towed away without him being told.

The 30-year-old, who asked not to be named, was driving his Land Rover on the M4 towards London during heavy snow at around 5pm on Thursday, March 1.

His vehicle gave up near junction 10, just after leaving Reading, Berkshire, when the radiator froze.

He managed to get it to the hard shoulder and then attempted to call the AA to arrange a repair.

However, he was unable to get hold of the rescue organisation which he believes may have been swamped by other stricken motorists.

The man, who was travelling to Crawley in Sussex to do some gritting work, said his clothes were already wet from an earlier job and said he felt it was not safe for him to stand by the roadside on the coldest March day since 1901.

After around an hour of trying, he was picked up by his father. He then returned at around 8am the following day but his car wasn't there.

After making a number of calls, he discovered it had been towed away by contractors working for Highways England and stored in a depot in Maidenhead.

He said: "I think it's a bit much to be honest.

"I understand they feel it's a safety risk, but why didn't they tell me?

"It got towed at 10.02pm, if someone had got in to contact with me before just towing it, I'd have come back to get it.

"I can't have been the only person this happened to."

The man collected his car the next morning, and was charged £200, with the threat of an additional £20 if he collected it after midday.

A spokesman for Highways England said: "The role of our traffic officers is to keep Highways England's road network safe for drivers, and this includes removing or moving to safety vehicles which are found to be abandoned and potentially causing a dangerous obstruction for other road users.

"When a vehicle is removed, we liaise closely with police to identify if the vehicle has been involved in a crime.

"If it has not, the police and our customer control centre will be updated accordingly so if the driver calls either of them they will be informed as to where their car is and how to retrieve it."