Mr Morris, 25, of Chapel Allerton, Leeds, said: "I couldn't believe it. No one I've mentioned it has heard of this happening. It seems outrageous. So what if I had left my window open? If anything had been taken then it'd have been my own fault." Mr Morris, currently unemployed, parked his Volkswagen Polo on Lovell Park Hill, near to the city centre, while he went for a job interview on Monday. He returned an hour-and-a-half later to discover it gone. Believing it to stolen, he contacted police who told him they had removed it to protect it from thieves.
A window had been left open, they said, and a CD wallet was in the back of the car. The vehicle had been taken to a storage facility. When Mr Morris went to collect his car the next morning he was handed a £150 bill. He said: "I'm not working at the moment and that's a lot of money for me. It's money I don't think I should have had to pay." West Yorkshire Police said it made no apology for taking the action. Chief Inspector Elizabeth Belton, of North West Leeds Division, said: "Officers regularly patrol our communities looking for opportunities to prevent crime, which is exactly what has happened on this occasion.
"The vehicle was left insecure with valuables on show in an area with significant levels of car crime and we were unable to locate the owner. We make absolutely no apology whatsoever for the officer's actions, which have prevented this vehicle becoming a target for thieves. Had a thief got there first it would have been a very different story. We need people to take responsibility for their own property and leave their vehicles secure and take any valuables with them every time they park up. We hope Mr Morris's story will serve as a reminder." The charges made for the recovery and storage of vehicles are set nationally by the Government.
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