A BMW technician returned home from a stag do to find a car given to him to work on in his own time had been towed and crushed.

Tim Pyke had spent a weekend away with friends in sunny Spain.

Before leaving for the holiday, a 14-day notice had been left on Mr Pyke’s car - which was parked in private car park where no highways rights exist - by Colchester Council workers in the mistaken presumption it had been abandoned and must be taxed.

He said after a speaking with council officers and his residential management company PMS, during which he claimed ownership of the car and proved it had been ‘sorn’, they accepted no offence had been committed.

But when he returned home, to Albany Gardens, in Colchester, after the stag do in June, Mr Pyke was shocked to discover the BMW 3-series was missing.

When he began inquiring, he was told despite the reassurances he was given Colchester Council officers had towed the vehicle and it had been subsequently crushed.

He said: “The car had been parked on private property, the management company asked the council to put a 14-day notice on it as they thought it had been abandoned.

“I called the council to claim ownership of the car and they said it was fine.

“When I came back from my holiday the car had gone.

“They said it was because the car was not taxed, but it was off the road. It was completely ridiculous.”

Mr Pyke was given the 3 Series car as a project to work on by his employers.

But to make matters worse, the senior BMW technician’s tools were also in the car.

He added: “It was in my own parking space, they never made contact with me, they just took it and crushed it.”I had been pretty lenient with them.”

A sign outside his property states no highways rules exist beyond that point.

He said: “A number of my tools were stored in the car so I am at a severe loss.

"There are signs that clearly state on all the private car parks around Albany Gardens that no highway rights exist past that point.”

A spokesman from PMS said: “We were contacted by the directors of the residents’ management company at Albany Gardens regarding a car which they believed had been abandoned and we reported this to Colchester Borough Council.”

A Colchester Council spokesman said they were first contacted by PMS on April 7.

They said: “As there was no DVLA Registered Keeper or Statutory Off Road Notification, a notice was served on the vehicle the same day.

“Following the 14 day legal notice period and instructions from PMS Management Estates, the vehicle was then removed.”