Abandoned Vehicles
What are abandoned vehicles?
A vehicle is classed as being abandoned where no one has an interest in the vehicle. Legally if a car is abandoned on the public highway it has to be untaxed for the council to treat it as abandoned. Council's are placed under a statutory duty to remove vehicles unlawfully abandoned on land to which the public have access.
Vehicles on private land
If a vehicle is abandoned on private land the Council can only take action after receiving confirmation from the landowner that they are happy for the Council to remove the vehicle.
Why are they a problem ?
The council has a statutory responsibility to deal with abandoned vehicles. As well as being an eyesore and causing an obstruction, they are often dangerous, encouraging vandalism and arson.
What Can the Council Do?
If the Council feel a vehicle has been abandoned, we will serve a notice giving the owner of the vehicle between 1 and 7 days to remove it. If no contact has been made by the owner and the vehicle has not been removed after expiry of the notice, the Council may then remove the vehicle.
The council works closely with the police and Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) to identify abandoned vehicles, the owner may be prosecuted and/or charged for the cost of the vehicle's removal.
The Council employs a contractor to remove abandoned vehicles who uses state of the art equipment to make sure all vehicles are dismantled in the most environmentally friendly way, with most components recycled.
Reporting an Abandoned Vehicle
If you believe a vehicle has been abandoned, report the matter to our Customer Service Centre. (contact details at bottom of page)
Alternatively you can complete our abandoned vehicle form online.
| ||||||
