Transport and streets

Abandoned vehicles - reporting and procedures

All vehicles that are considered to be abandoned are dealt with using the Refuse Disposal (Amenity) Act 1978 with its subsequent revisions as the primary source of legislation to use to remove such vehicles for disposal from both public highway and private land.

In addition to the above, the Clean Neighbourhood and Environment Act 2005 also contain pertinent legislation which is used by this Council to remove abandoned vehicles from both public highway and private land.

First Visit

• Enforcement officer visits the targeted vehicle to confirm that in their opinion the vehicle has been abandoned.
• Photographs and a site visit report are made during this visit.
• If the vehicle is suspected as being abandoned, the Officer will affix a self adhesive 7 day Notice on the windscreen (on the driver’s side of the vehicle in clear view of the driver).
• If the vehicle is a wreck or is a clear health & safety risk to everybody then the visiting Officer can immediately order the vehicle to be removed for disposal.
  A same day request is made to DVLA requesting details of the last known registered owner. An immediate letter of enquiry is then forwarded by recorded delivery to the registered owner confirming that they have 7 days to reclaim their vehicle.
• All vehicles with no known owner are ear marked or immediate disposal.

Second Visit

• If the vehicle has not moved within the period of the 7 day notice, and no response has been received for the letter of enquiry, then the targeted vehicle will be immediately ear marked for collection and subsequent disposal by the Council’s authorised contractor.

Taxed Vehicles

Current legislation concerning the processing of a taxed vehicle that in the opinion of Council Officers appears to have been abandoned confirms the following:

• Taxed vehicles can be legitimately treated as an abandoned vehicle provided the Council takes all reasonable steps to ascertain the identity of and inform the last known keeper /owner of their intentions. The modus operandi for the removal of such vehicles will be the same as would be followed for the removal of an untaxed vehicle.

Lost & Stolen

• Before any vehicle is sent for disposal or sold, all abandoned vehicles are checked with the police to ensure that they are not lost or stolen.

I want to surrender a vehicle

Provided you are a resident of the borough, you may contract the Nuisance Vehicle Section to report the fact that you want to surrender your vehicle to the Council.

Any request to have the vehicle collected will have to be made in writing and the V5C document associated with the vehicle being surrendered must be enclosed with the aforementioned letter. A contact telephone number to enable the Council to contact the enquirer must always be provided.

A vehicle has been abandoned on private land of any description (including private estates, Housing land, car parks, driveways etc.

We will remove any abandoned vehicle from any of the above locations but there will be a single charge to remove a vehicle which is currently £50 (currently payable only by cheque). Customers must send a cheque with covering letter to:

Nuisance Vehicle Section,
1st Floor
Davis House,
Robert Street,
Croydon
CR0 1QQ

The mode of operation for the removal of any vehicle on private land repeats as mentioned above. In cases where the vehicle has a last known owner who reclaims the vehicle, the Landlord is to assume full responsibility to undertake all measures to seek the removal of the abandoned or nuisance vehicle as the Council does not possess the appropriate powers to resolve such situations.

The vehicle is untaxed

Croydon Council no longer enforces legislation related to untaxed vehicles.

All reports of the existence of an untaxed vehicle(s) must be made directly to the national Untaxed Vehicles Telephone Hotline on free phone 0800 0325 202 or online at http://dvla.gov.uk/onlineservices

Contact Details

Contact name

Abandoned Vehicle Section

Telephone

020 8726 7100

SMS

Text "ENV" 60660

Email

parking@croydon.gov.uk

Address

Abandoned Vehicle Section,
1st Floor
Davis House,
Robert Street,
Croydon
CR0 1QQ