A heartbroken man has been unable to trace his uncle’s ashes after the car he was storing them in was wrongly seized and sent to auction.
Carl Johnson, who had been keeping the urn in his Toyota Yaris, said the car went missing just days after he bought it with plans to repair it for a family member.
Believing it had been stolen, Mr Johnson reported it to police but was told it had been taken by NSL Clamping on behalf of the DVLA.
However, the car’s confiscation was in error as the untaxed vehicle was on private land.
The vehicle had since been moved to an auction house where it was to be sold off and Mr Johnson claims that when he arrived, the ashes were not where he thought he had left them.
He reported the missing items, including some power tools, to the Met Police but the force said it was unable to take any action.
He said: “I just think I’m going to look in that car and the ashes are going to be there.
“I guess the bottom line is I’m not going to get them back.”
Hartbottle & Lewis, a legal firm working on behalf of NSL said: “NSL followed due process as we always do when removing vehicles.
“This includes taking a photographic record of every vehicle removed to the pound.
“Our evidence does not support these allegations.”