Abandoned vehicles
How to check if a vehicle has been abandoned
If you think a vehicle has been abandoned, there are a few to check to make sure this is the case.
1. Has the vehicle been in the same location for a significant amount of time?
For a vehicle to be investigated as abandoned, it must not be in use. Even if it is untaxed, if it is being used it does not qualify for our removal process.
If you think instead that the vehicle is parked illegally rather than being abandoned, you can report online as an incorrectly parked vehicle or parking offence.
2. Is the vehicle untaxed/SORN?
You can check the status of any vehicle through the DVLA vehicle enquiry service. If the vehicle is untaxed, it can be reported anonymously to the DVLA.
3. Is the vehicle significantly damaged, run down or not roadworthy?
Common signs are:
- Smashed windows or windscreen
- Flat tyres or the wheels have been removed
- It’s been vandalised or burnt out
How to report abandoned vehicle
You can report an abandoned vehicle by completing the online form.
Before you fill in this form
You won't be able to save this form to complete later, so please allow yourself five minutes to fill in the form.
We will need your contact details as the DVLA require us to be able to identify the person making a report of an abandoned vehicle as a condition of making enquiries on their database.
You will need to provide the following information:
Registration number of the vehicle
Any photos of the vehicle
What happens next
After you have reported an abandoned vehicle we will inspect the vehicle and assess the risk. This is usually within a week but for burnout vehicles, we aim to inspect within 24 hours.
Please note we receive over 1,400 abandoned vehicle reports each year.
Once our officers inspect the vehicle and photographs are taken, we will then do a DVLA check to attempt to contact the registered keeper and monitor the vehicle. On average it can take between four and eight weeks for an investigation to be concluded. However, in unusual circumstances this can take longer.
If the vehicle has no registered keeper, we place a seven-day destruction notice on the vehicle.
Investigations and results
Please be aware that we cannot tell you the outcome of our investigations or who owns the vehicle.
Please also note that at the conclusion of the investigation there is no guarantee that the vehicle will be removed.
