A tax-dodging 'idiot' was captured on camera trying to drive off with a clamp attached to his wheel - seemingly in an attempt to avoid paying for his car to be unclamped. Watch below:
Asif Attia, who works as a plumber, was getting ready for work when he suddenly smelt burnt rubber coming from a car parked down his road in Leyton, North London.
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Attia, 39, watched as the driver of the smoking Volkswagen Golf tried to pull away from the curb, apparently attempting to free it from a yellow clamp attached to the front left tyre.
In the footage, which was filmed last November but was recently shared on TikTok by Attia, we see the untaxed car jump forwards and backwards several times.
However, the clamp spins 360 degrees before smashing into the wheel arch, bringing the great escape to a smoky halt.
At one point, Attia even tried to point out the clamp to the driver, but was ignored - at which point he realised the motorist may have been fully aware of the situation.
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The NSL, which clamps cars on behalf of the DVLA, confirmed the vehicle had been clamped because it was untaxed.
However, it is not clear how the driver resolved the issue.
Attia said he 'enjoyed the show' but branded the driver an 'idiot', claiming it would have cost more to repair the car than it would have been to just tax it and pay for the clamp to be removed.
The dad-of-three said: "What an idiot. The damage he was causing to his car would have cost more than paying the actual people to take the clamp off and taxing the car.
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"I saw the car smoking in front of me and I could see the bright yellow clamp. At first I thought maybe he'd not clocked that he had the clamp on his wheel.
"I even pointed it out to him, but he ignored me and he just carried on driving forward and back, so I realised he knew he had a clamp and he's trying to break it by driving off it.
"You could smell the fumes from the rubber tyres burning and you could hear the wheels skidding, it was just so funny.
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"As it was the first time I'd seen something like this, I thought I'd put my camera on.
"There was only me around. I had an angle grinder in the boot so I could have offered it but I was enjoying the show.
"His friend was waiting for him and they just kept trying. He was coming close to my van as well, trying to break it off, so I reversed out of the way.
"He was just desperate not to pay. Whenever someone's clamped, they're annoyed - but you wouldn't think to do this."
An NSL spokesman said: "NSL is DVLA's national wheel clamping partner.
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"As part of day-to-day enforcement activity, NSL takes enforcement action against untaxed vehicles seen on the road in different areas of the country.
"I can confirm that the enforcement action taken was part of this day-to-day activity."
After Attia posted the clip on TikTok on 2 May, and has been viewed more than 23,000 times.
Users branded the footage 'painful to watch', with one commenting: "RIP clutch."
Another added: "Pay your bills."
Featured Image Credit: Kennedy NewsTopics: UK News, News, Driver, Car