BIRMINGHAM, Alabama - According to Birmingham Mayor William Bell, some tow truck drivers have illegally towed stranded vehicles to impounds or other facilities in the wake of Tuesday's winter storm and charged the vehicle owners to recover the vehicles. Those drivers, Bell said, have claimed authority from the city or state that they do not have.

"There are some towing companies that are stating that they are authorized by the state to tow people," Bell told AL.com. "That is not true. I talked to the director of the state EMA and he indicated that that is not true."

Some trucks are moving disabled or abandoned vehicles out of the roadway in order to allow traffic to pass, but the vehicles are simply being moved to the shoulder. There is no fee associated with that.

Bell said that the tow truck operators illegally moving vehicles would be prosecuted if they are within the city's jurisdiction.

"We will take legal action," he said.

"Please let the public know that there is no authorized towing company that is either operating on behalf of the city or the state."

Bell, state Sen. Rodger Smitherman, D-Birmingham, and Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley visited Glen Iris Elementary School on Wednesday. Teachers spent the night at Glen Iris Tuesday night with students who were stranded during the storm.