A pet parrot has been blamed for destroying a driver's car log book.

'My parrot destroyed it' was among the unusual list of reasons given to the DVLA by motorists attempting to replace their vehicle registration certificate.

A V5C - or log book - is a paper document that is issued to the registered keeper of a vehicle. It carries all of the information about the car and is used to inform the DVLA of any changes such as when a vehicle is sold on to a new owner or a change of name or address. The certificate is also needed if a car is modified, written-off or sent for scrap.

In September last year the government department launched a new online service that motorists could use to quickly apply for a replacement V5C in the event that their original was lost or damaged. Motorists can order a replacement, regardless of the reason why the original documentation is missing and the fee is £25.

But a year on from the service's launch, which has been used around 300,000 times by drivers - or almost 6,000 times each week, staff have shared some of the more unusual reasons car owners have offered up as to why they need fresh documentation.

Alongside one pet owner who admitted his pet parrot had 'destroyed' the crucial certificate was another, in a throwback to school homework excuses, who confessed to their dog having ate it.

There was a grandparent who admitted their grandchild had found the certificate and taken it outside when playing and buried it in the mud while another log book was also damaged by the hands of a small child who attempted to cover their school book in it.

Also among the requests for a new certificate were tales from more absent-minded drivers who admitted to not having been concentrating and mistakenly putting it through the paper shredder or leaving it the back pocket of a pair of trousers only for it to end up in the washing machine while another confessed to having left it near an open window only for it to blow out never to be seen again.

There was also a story from one young driver who claimed they'd taken it to a hotel in the Gobi Desert, which they stopped at while driving across Asia in gap year travels, and accidentally left it there while another lucky young car owner said they had inadvertently torn their V5C to shreds when it was used as wrapping paper for car keys that led to a new vehicle for a birthday present.

Julie Lennard, DVLA chief executive said whatever the reason, drivers who are aware their V5C certificate has been lost or damaged, should log online quickly and order a rapid replacement.

She said: "Our online service to replace a V5C is quick and easy to use and means customers will receive their replacement vehicle registration certificate within the week.

"So whether you misplaced your V5C, it’s being digested by your pet or your kids have used it for arts and crafts - the quickest way to get a replacement is on GOV.UK."

To learn more about a V5C certificate click here.

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