Abandoned and unwanted vehicles
Below is information about reporting abandoned vehicles and arranging collection of an unwanted vehicle for disposal.
Abandoned vehicles
We are responsible for dealing with abandoned vehicles, i.e. those which are untaxed and have no known owner. When reporting an abandoned vehicle to us please state the location of the vehicle, its make, model and colour and its registration number (if present).
Identifying an abandoned vehicle
The following should help you judge whether a vehicle has been abandoned:
- Is the vehicle untaxed i.e. no tax disc present at all or past the expiry date? (This should not be the sole consideration, but should be taken into account with the other points below.)
- Are any of the tyres flat or have any of the wheels been removed?
- Is there litter or any other signs under the vehicle, indicating that it has not moved for some time?
- Is the windscreen or any of the windows broken?
- Is there any mould on either the inside or outside of the vehicle?
- Does the vehicle contain items of waste e.g. tyres, old newspapers, general rubbish?
- Does the vehicle have number plates?
- Has the vehicle been 'hot-wired' i.e. driven without keys by connecting ignition wires together? (If it has, there will be wires hanging from the dashboard.)
- Has the vehicle been vandalised? Exterior vandalism might include dents in bodywork, graffiti, bumpers/spoilers being removed; interior vandalism might include radio being stolen, seat covers being slashed.
- Has a vehicle that you and your neighbours have never seen before suddenly appeared in your road and no-one is claiming ownership?
Do not enter or touch an abandoned vehicle
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Abandoned vehicles are a problem because:
- They are unsightly and can be hazardous.
- Taxpayers bear the cost of recovery when the registered owner cannot be traced.
- Local Police and Fire services must spend time dealing with vehicles that are parked dangerously or set alight.
What the law says:
- The Council is responsible for removing abandoned vehicles, and are required to search for the vehicles' owner and allow them 14 days to remove the vehicle. If they do not, or if an owner cannot be traced, the Council is required to give a further 7 days notice before removing and scrapping the vehicle.
- It is a criminal offence to abandon a vehicle. Penalties can include both substantial fines and imprisonment.
- Local authorities have the power to recover costs of removal, storage and disposal from the person responsible for abandoning the vehicle.
- The police have powers to remove any vehicle that is in breach of local traffic regulations, causing an obstruction, likely to cause a danger, broken down or abandoned without lawful authority.
- If an abandoned vehicle is on privately owned land, the Council is required to give the landowner 15 days notice of our intention to take away the vehicle.
Unwanted vehicles
If you have an unwanted vehicle that you wish to dispose of please phone our approved contractor T & B Motors of West End Witney direct on 01993 704766. The vehicle will be collected free of charge and disposed of within the strict guidelines relating to the depollution and recycling of end of life vehicles.
