Abandoned Vehicles
Report an abandoned vehicle
Disposal of
Unwanted Vehicle form
What is an
Abandoned vehicle
The Council operates a service to Investigate alleged abandoned
vehicles and, if appropriate to arrange for their removal.
This process is carried out under the legislation from
the Refuse Disposal (Amenity) Act 1978.
A vehicle which has been deemed
abandoned,depending on its circumstances, will be removed to
storage and a notice will be sent to the registered keeper giving a
specific time period of 7 days in which to claim ownership.
Following this period, if the vehicle is not claimed it will
subsequently be disposed.
REMEMBER: Abandoning a vehicle is a
criminal offence and you could be prosecuted. The offence
carries a maximum fine of £2500 or 3 months
imprisonment.
What is an abandoned vehicle?
There is no legal definition of ‘abandoned’
and this guidance does not seek to create one. Local authority
officers have the freedom to use their discretion when making
decisions on abandonment. However, the following characteristics
are generally common to abandoned vehicles and one or a combination
of the following could assist a local authority officer in making a
decision on abandonment.
(a) Untaxed, with
(b) No current vehicle keeper on the Driver
and Vehicle Licensing Agency’s (DVLA) record
(c) Stationary for a significant amount of
time
(d) Significantly damaged, run down or
unroadworthy
(e) Burned out
(f) Lacking one or more of its number
plates
(g) Containing waste
This is not an exhaustive list and a vehicle
would not have to be displaying the full list to be considered
abandoned.
How can I report an abandoned vehicle?
Please telephone 01234 718060 or use the
on-line form.
When you report an abandoned vehicle you will be asked for the
following information:
- Details of where the vehicle is located
(please be as accurate as possible)
- Colour
- Make and model
- Registration number
- Condition (e.g. smashed windows, tyres
missing, untidy etc)
- If the vehicle is taxed, and if so, the
expiry date.
- How long the vehicle has been left
there
Please have as many of these details as possible to hand before
you contact us.
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What happens after a suspected abandoned vehicle is
reported?
The Council will inspect any abandoned vehicle report
received and if the Inspector is satisfied that in
his opinion it is abandoned we will remove the
vehicle.
In making this decision the Inspector will consider a range of
factors such as the condition of the vehicle or/and whether it
is displaying a valid tax disc, and any other factors that
indicate that the vehicle is not in regular use.
The Council will not normally remove a vehicle that has a
valid tax disc or in good condition, unless there is strong
evidence that it has not been in use for a long time and has been
left on the highway or on private land without permission of the
landowner/highways department
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What to do if you believe your vehicle has been removed
by the council as an abandoned vehicle?
If you are
the registered keeper the council will write to you to inform you
that your vehicle has been impounded. You then have 7 days in
which to recover it. Telephone 01234 718255 as soon as
possible and make sure you have full details of the vehicle
available.
In order to recover the vehicle you will need the
following:
- The registration document (V5 log book)
showing that you are the registered keeper
If you are not the registered keeper of the vehicle, or
have purchased it recently, you may need to contact a solicitor and
obtain a sworn affidavit before you can recover the
vehicle.
- Your valid ID (passport, driving licence,
rent book or bank statement)
- The fee payment is currently £150
removal plus £20 per day storage
Payment options:
Postal and money orders should be made payable to Bedford
Borough Council.
Payment in person can be made with a credit card/debit
card/postal order at the Cash Desk, Customer Contact Centre, Horne
Lane, Bedford (Monday to Friday between 8.45am &
4.00pm, and Saturday between 9.00am & 1.00pm).
Can the Council dispose of an unwanted vehicle for
me?
Yes, if you are the registered keeper and have the valid
registration document for the vehicle. A fee (currently £36.50) is
charged for this service.
To request a vehicle to be removed and destroyed by the Council
please download the form below, complete it and send it in to us
along with the payment to the address at the bottom of the
page.
Disposal of
Unwanted Vehicle form
Other Disposal Methods
If you no longer want your vehicle or it is not worth repairing
look for an Authorised Treatment Facility (ATF). The Environment
Agency keeps a list of these sites which you can check
online. In some cases, these facilities will
collect your car and dispose of it for you and you may even get a
bit of money back!
For a further option for unwanted vehicles see the link
below
Keep Britain
Tidy
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Other vehicle issues
Vehicles for Sale
A person commits an offence if:
a) he leaves two or more motor vehicles parked
within 500m of each other on a road or roads where they are exposed
or advertised for sale, or
b) he causes two or more motor vehicles to be
so left
Bedford Borough Council has the power to issue
Fixed Penalty Notices to owners/keepers of these vehicles.
Please telephone us on 01234 718060 to report.
Nuisance Vehicles
For further information please go to the Nuisance Vehicles
page.
For vehicles causing parking problems, please contact the
Council's Parking Shop on 01234 718057.
For vehicles causing an obstruction of the highway,
please call the police on their non-emergency number 01234
841212.
For untaxed vehicles please contact DVLA on 0300 790 6802
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Service Address: Environmental Enforcement
Team
Bedford Borough Council
Riverside
House
Horne
Lane
Bedford
MK40
1PY
Contact Email: environmentalenforcementteam@bedford.gov.uk
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