Abandoned Vehicles
The Council is responsible for the inspection and removal of abandoned vehicles on public land and public roads.
Abandoned vehicles on private land are the responsibility of the landowner. However, if they are causing a nuisance, and a written request from landowner to remove the vehicle is received, the Council can serve notice to remove it.
What is an abandoned vehicle?
While there is no legal definition of an abandoned vehicle, The authority has determined that an abandoned vehicle is one that “the owner has left completely and finally with no intention to retrieve it.” The decision as to whether a vehicle is abandoned is made by the investigating officer of MTCBC. Each decision will be made on its merits at the time of the visit.
The Council will consider a vehicle to be abandoned if it appears to have been given up or forsaken. The following characteristics will be considered:
- Untaxed, with
- No current keeper on the DVLA’s records;
- Stationary for a significant amount of time;
- Significantly damaged, run-down or unroadworthy;
- Burned out;
- Lacking one or more of it’s number plates;
- Containing waste;
- Flat tyres or missing wheels;
- Missing and/or broken windows;
- Been vandalised.
Just because a vehicle is in poor condition or not taxed does not necessarily mean that it is abandoned and on occasion additional enquiries may have to be made to establish whether or not the vehicle is abandoned before we can remove it.
Reporting an abandoned vehicle on Public Land or the Highway
To report an abandoned vehicle and for us to action your complaint quickly we need to know:-
- the location of the vehicle
- how long has it been there
- the make and colour
- the registration number
- if it is taxed and if so when it expires
- the general condition of the vehicle
To report an abandoned vehicle please phone 01685 725000 or report online via our online service.
When a report of an abandoned vehicle is received we are obliged to ensure that every effort is made to contact the registered keeper of the vehicle. This is to confirm that the vehicle is actually abandoned. There can be some delays while we are undertaking these checks with the DVLA. Arrangements to remove and dispose of the vehicle cannot be made until these checks have been undertaken.
We will attempt to contact the last registered keeper of the vehicle asking for them to contact us or remove the vehicle. A legal Notice will also be attached to the vehicle. If the registered keeper fails to contact us and the vehicle remains in situ after 7 days of this notice being served, we can remove the vehicle. If a vehicle is claimed by the registered keeper the Council has no grounds to remove the vehicle and no further action will be taken.
Please be advised that we are only able to deal with vehicles that have been abandoned. Vehicles that are causing a nuisance such as those that are:
- Poorly parked
- Causing an obstruction
- Involved in residential parking disputes
- Broken down
- Untaxed but in good condition etc
will not be removed by the Council.
You can check if a vehicle is taxed and has a MOT by using the following link:
https://vehicleenquiry.service.gov.uk/
Reporting an untaxed vehicle
If a vehicle is un-taxed you should report this to the DVLA.
Reporting a vehicle with no valid MOT or causing an obstruction
If a vehicle does not have a valid MOT – This should be reported to the Police.
If a vehicle is causing an obstruction on the highway or is thought to be stolen or involved in a crime, please report it to South Wales Police on 101. Contact us | South Wales Police
Reporting an abandoned vehicle on Private land
We will only investigate complaints of abandoned vehicles on private land if the request comes directly from the landowner.
If a landowner wants a vehicle removed from their property they must first try to trace the owner of the vehicle. The landowner can contact the DVLA to ask them to trace the vehicle owner. If this is unsuccessful the landowner can contact the police to see if they have any interest in the vehicle Report lost or found property | South Wales Police. The landowner has the right to remove the vehicle.
The Council will remove a vehicle on behalf of a landowner providing they can show that they have made all reasonable efforts to contact the vehicle owner (for example, quoting a police incident number and providing the Council with copies of any correspondence). Land registry documents must all be provided to the council, including register view and title plan of the land.
If the investigating officer determines a vehicle to be abandoned, they will make attempts to contact the registered keeper of the vehicle. A letter and Notice will be sent to the registered keeper and a Notice will be attached to the vehicle. If there is no contact from the registered keeper and the vehicle is still in situ after 15 days the vehicle will be removed.