- All abandoned vehicle reports received by the us will be investigated.
- We will try to contact the last registered keeper and advise them that their vehicle has been left in an abandoned state.
- If after contacting the registered keeper and the vehicle still remains unmoved or the condition unchanged when re-checked, it will be removed and destroyed.
Abandoned and untaxed vehicles
Abandoned vehicle guidelines
Abandoning a vehicle can result in a Fixed Penalty Notice or prosecution. The list below will help you determine if a vehicle is potentially abandoned. Please note these are just indicators, each vehicle will be assessed by an authorised Officer on its own merit and meeting one or more of the above criteria does not definitively indicate abandonment:
- has the vehicle been parked without moving a minimum of 4 weeks?
- are there any flat tyres or removed wheels?
- is the windscreen or any of the windows broken?
- is the vehicle mouldy or rusty?
- is there waste inside the vehicle?
Vehicles that are not classed as abandoned
- if your neighbour has gone on holiday or you are in dispute with them
- if parked across your driveway; this is known as an obstruction
Report an abandoned vehicle
We will ask you for details as listed below. If they are not provided we might not be able to carry out an inspection:
- the exact location
- registration number
- make of the vehicle
- colour
- brief description of the state of the vehicle
How we deal with abandoned vehicles
Removing a vehicle from private land
- If a vehicle that is reported to us is on Private Land, an Officer will attend to assess if the vehicle meets the criteria.
- If the vehicle meets the criteria then a legal 15 days notice will be affixed to the vehicle in question. The purpose of this notice is to give the land owner (not the vehicle owner) 15 days in which to contact us and resolve this matter.
- if after 15 days the vehicle remains unchanged we will arrange for it removal.
Untaxed vehicles
- Every vehicle registered in the United Kingdom must be taxed if used or kept on a public road.
- If the vehicle is kept off-road it must either be taxed or have a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN).
- Any vehicle in breach of the Road Tax requirement is subject to Enforcement by the DVLA who may either remove or clamp your motor vehicle.
If you wish to report an untaxed vehicle please note enforcement of this is with the DVLA only and can be done via the below link:
