Abandoned Vehicles

A vehicle is only abandoned ‘where it appears to a local authority that a motor vehicle is abandoned without lawful authority...’ (Refuse Disposal (Amenity) Act 1978). This means that a vehicle is only abandoned when the authorised officer at the local authority decides that it is abandoned.

People often confuse a genuinely abandoned vehicle that the council has the powers to tackle and remove, with a nuisance and/or untaxed vehicle that the council does not have the power to remove. The more information you can give us about a particular vehicle, the more likely the service we deliver will be efficient and effective.

To speed the process when reporting an abandoned vehicle, please give as much of the following information as possible:

• Date
• Exact location
• Make and model
• Registration (if any)
• Colour
• Whether taxed
• Your details, and any other information that may be relevant

If you are unsure whether a vehicle is abandoned or not, the following points should allow a reasoned judgement to be made:

• Is the vehicle taxed? (This should not be the sole consideration)
• Are the tyres flat?
• Is there any litter, weeds, etc. under the vehicle indicating that it has not been moved for some time?
• Are the brake discs rusty?
• Is the windscreen or any of the windows broken?
• Is mould present on either the inside or the outside of the vehicle?
• Does the vehicle contain items of waste, for example tyres?
• Does the vehicle have a number plate?
• Do local householders, businesses, councillors or the police know how long the vehicle has been there and do they have any knowledge of who owned/abandoned it?