Chesham families have been given parking tickets after cars were fraudulently registered at their homes.

Residents of Chilton Road have also been threatened by debt collectors after rogue traders fraudulently used their addresses on vehicle logbooks – or VC5 forms – and racked up huge fines.

One resident whose address was used without his permission explained to the Local Democracy Reporting Service how the fraudsters operated.

Speaking anonymously – due to fears for the safety of his family – he said: “The vehicle gets registered to one of our addresses for a short period, which is enough for them to store the vehicle locally.

“If it picks up parking tickets or any other road offence, the vehicle is registered to our addresses, which means that we then get the penalty notices.”

The LDRS saw letters sent to the resident by Trace Debt Recovery over the past two years, which demanded separate payments of £170, threatened legal action, and told him he was ‘running out of options’.

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Fortunately, the resident managed to de-register his address with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) to stop the fraudulent activity.

He has also been assisted with his situation by a community support officer of Thames Valley Police, who told him that dealers had cut clamps off uninsured cars dumped in the area.

The resident, who has also been slapped with someone else’s London congestion charge fine, says the ordeal has caused him a lot of trouble.

He said: “It is just unnecessary stress, frustration and a headache. What I don’t know is whether it has had any potential effects on my credit rating history. It shouldn’t do but, of course, how am I to know?”

The addresses of at least five families in and around Chilton Road are believed to have been fraudulently used to register cars.

On top of this, a number of cars have also been dumped on streets in and around the area, sometimes without being removed for up to weeks at a time.

Another resident of Chilton Road, who also wished to remain anonymous, said: “This is a Chesham-wide problem. It is all over Chesham.

“Any spare spaces and the traders are sticking their cars all over the place.”

Sarah Green, the Liberal Democrat MP for Chesham and Amersham, said she had been contacted by a string of local people about illegal parking and the fraudulent registration of vehicles over the last year.

She told the LDRS: “One instance of fraudulent vehicle registration resulted in a letter from a bailiff being wrongfully received causing understandable distress.

“I have contacted a number of public bodies, including the DVLA, Thames Valley Police, and Buckinghamshire Council regarding both issues.

“I understand that Buckinghamshire Council have increased enforcement operations in the area and that the DVLA have taken action to prevent further vehicles being incorrectly registered at the addresses in question.

“I condemn fraud of any kind in the strongest possible terms and would encourage residents who are affected by this activity to report any incidents to the relevant authorities.”

Buckinghamshire Council, Thames Valley Police and the DVLA have been approached for comment.

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