A GARAGE owner watched in disbelief as a customer’s car he was fixing was towed away by police officers.

Steve Woolford, who runs AYS accident and repair centre in Charlotte Street, Folkestone, pushed the car out of his workshop onto the road outside while staff quickly swept and cleaned the premises.

He saw two police officers nearby and told them the car, which was untaxed and being repaired, would be on the road, on double yellow lines, for just a few minutes before being pushed back in.

However, the officers said that as the car was illegally parked and untaxed it would be towed away.

Mr Woolford said: “I approached them and told them what I was doing. They could see someone sweeping. It was ridiculous. It was only going to be there a few minutes. Surely they could simply have given me a telling off?”

The car was taken early on Monday morning.

Mr Woolford has been told he must pay £200 to get it back, or it could be crushed.

Jon Green, a spokesman for South Kent Police, said Operation Cubit, a crackdown on abandoned and untaxed vehicles, was in force in the Shepway area.

He added: “Two police officers were in the area on Monday morning to support the DVLA. It was explained that any untaxed car on a public road can be taken away.

“The car could have been there a long time. It is no good trying to make an excuse.”