A grandfather was left heartbroken when he returned from a stay in hospital to find his beloved car had been towed away.

Henry Liberman, of Springwood Crescent, Edgware, left his blue Honda in a parking bay outside his flat in October - but was then diagnosed with cancer and had to spend two months in hospital.

The 74-year-old’s tax disc had expired so his son, Ingram Liberman, registered the car with the Driver and Licensing Vehicle Agency as off the road - which exempts motorists from paying vehicle tax if the vehicle is not in use.

He claimed Barnet Council confirmed the area outside the property was classed as a private area, so it would be safe to leave the untaxed car there.

But when he was discharged at the start of December he found his car had gone - and discovered Barnet Council had instructed its contractors Redcorn to tow it away.

Redcorn said the car was on public land, and was due to be destroyed on Monday unless the elderly man paid the £400 release fee.

But when the Times Series contacted Barnet Council, it admitted “someone had messed up” and the car was due to be returned yesterday.

Mr Liberman's son, 41, said: “It’s been a complete nightmare. We didn’t really need this sitting on our shoulders. On top of my father’s illness, it’s been a very stressful time.

“It’s disgraceful really. We did all the checks we should have done and as far as we are concerned, the car was parked on private land. We didn’t deserve this to happen.

“That car is my dad’s pride and joy. It is his little baby and he was devastated when I told him it had gone.”

Mr Liberman bought his car around a year ago and had many of his possessions in it, including his disabled badge, at the time it was towed away.

Despite numerous phone calls to Barnet Council and Redcorn, his son said he was constantly passed between various departments but nobody was able to offer a solution.

He added: “I’m thrilled it’s all over now, but I want to make sure this doesn’t happen again to someone else. We had to deal with a problem that shouldn’t have been there - that’s not right.”

Cabinet member for the environment, Councillor Dean Cohen, said: “Someone has messed up here. I don’t know whether it is us, the management company or the DVLA.

“But I’ve instructed the car to be returned to Mr Liberman as soon as possible. I’ll also make sure Mr Liberman isn’t out of pocket in any way.”