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Abandoned vehicles

It is a criminal offence to abandon a motor vehicle, or anything that has formed part of a motor vehicle, on any land in the open air or on any other land forming part of the highway.

What is an abandoned vehicle?

Just because a vehicle is untaxed, is poorly parked or is not believed to be owned by a resident does not mean that it has been abandoned.

The list below shows some of the criteria our officers consider when assessing a vehicle:

  • is taxed/untaxed
  • has no current registered keeper
  • has been stationary for a significant amount of time
  • is significantly damaged, run down, unroadworthy or burned out
  • is lacking one or more of its number plates or contains waste
  • is on private land or highways

When isn’t a vehicle abandoned?

If it is:

  • illegally/dangerously/badly parked
  • recently crashed or broken down
  • obstructing vehicle access
  • obstructing utilities
  • untaxed but being used
  • uninsured/no MOT

If a vehicle is parked dangerously, is causing an obstruction or you suspect it has been stolen you should report this to the Police.

Untaxed/SORN Vehicles

It is an offence to have a vehicle on the road without tax or to have a vehicle on the road which has a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN).

If you wish to report an untaxed vehicle on the highway, please complete the DVLA's online form.

If you suspect the vehicle to have been stolen, please contact your local Police station.

Report an abandoned vehicle

If you wish to report an abandoned vehicle, please use our online form:

If the vehicle is on private land, please contact the landowner directly.

If you are the landowner and believe a vehicle has been abandoned on your land, please contact us for more information.