Abandoned vehicles

We remove abandoned vehicles (cars, vans, motorbikes, caravans but not bikes) from any piece of land (in the open air) or road in the borough.

First you should find out if the vehicle is taxed or not and this can be done very quickly and easily by checking on the DVLA website.

Check a vehicle’s tax status

If the vehicle is taxed

If the vehicle is taxed, it would not generally be considered to be abandoned. Sometimes vehicles may not move from a certain location for a long period of time because the owner has decided for whatever reason not to use the vehicle.

What is classed as an abandoned vehicle

An abandoned vehicle is one that that meets some or all of the following factors;

• Untaxed
• Stationary for a significant amount of time
• Damaged or run down
• Burnt out
• Containing waste

If you believe the vehicle is in an abandoned state but is owned by a local resident/neighbour, no action can be taken by the Council as the vehicle is “owned”

If you report an abandoned vehicle to us we will

• try and inspect the scene with 24 hours and place a notice on the vehicle if it appears to be abandoned
• the notice period varies from 24 hours to 15 days
• if the vehicle is not moved or claimed once the notice period has ended, we issue a destruction order and the vehicle is removed
• we try to remove burnt out vehicles immediately

Vehicles which are causing a physical obstruction to a driveway but are not abandoned can only be dealt with by the Police.

Make a report using the map

If you would like to report an abandoned vehicle, you can report it by using the map below. 

You can:

1. use the search bar on the map to search for a location, address or street
2. click on the map to place a pin
3. proceed to fill in the short form

Make a report using the form

If you have accessibility requirements or difficulties using the map you can make a report using the form. Note that the form will be reviewed manually and may take longer to action.

Report an abandoned vehicle

You don't need to dump your car - you can recycle it

It is illegal to dump a vehicle in the street. If you need to get rid of your car you can use the free CarTakeBack scheme. 

Also, if the vehicle is parked on a public road where there are no parking restrictions, again no action can be taken as the vehicle is “owned” and not parked in contravention.