UK drivers are being warned they could face fines of up to £2,500 or three months in jail for making a common mistake when parking their car.

Leaving your car parked for too long on private residential streets could land you in trouble with the law.

According to motoring experts, leaving your car for too long could cost you a small fortune, under Section 2 of the Refuse Disposal Act 1978.

Five ways you can

What does the law say?

The law states anyone who abandons a vehicle or parts of a vehicle on roads or land in the open air can be issued a fixed penalty notice of up to £2,500 or prosecuted by authorities.

Alternatively, car owners could face court and a jail term of up to three months.

Authorities must first try to find a vehicles owner and give them seven days’ notice to collect it. If owners fail to move the car withing the seven days, they could be in trouble.

UK drivers slapped with four-figure fines

Two motorists were slapped with four-figure fines in Gloucestershire after their cars were left for long periods across a six month span.

The motorists received fines of £1,370.98 and £2,079.37 respectively.

At the time, Mike Redman, the council's director of environment, said: “We are repeatedly asked to deal with abandoned cars and the community are keen for us to catch the people responsible.

“These prosecutions show that where there is evidence the council will issue fixed penalty notices and where appropriate pursue the matter through the courts.”