What is an abandoned vehicle?
An abandoned vehicle doesn’t usually have an owner and can be amongst other things;
- Untaxed – check if a vehicle is taxed
And
- Be at the same location for a significant amount of time
- Be significantly damaged
- Burnt out
Our responsibilities
We have a duty under Section 3 of the Refuse Disposal (Amenity) Act 1978, to investigate and remove abandoned vehicles on land in the open air within the District.
If the vehicle is on private land we require the landowner to report the vehicle to us and authorise us to investigate.
If a vehicle is taxed
If a vehicle is taxed we will usually not investigate further.
If a vehicle is not taxed
If the vehicle is in good condition but has no tax and has been at the location for less than a month, report this as an untaxed vehicle to the DVLA. Report an untaxed vehicle – GOV.UK
If a vehicle has no MOT
We do not investigate or enforce MOTs.
If a vehicle has no MOT and is being driven, this is a matter for the Police and can be reported online at Report | Sussex Police
Road safety issues
We don’t deal with parking issues outside of our public car parks.
If you believe a vehicle’s position is posing a serious risk to road users please report this to Sussex Police via Report | Sussex Police.
Report an abandoned vehicle to us
You can report an abandoned vehicle online – Report an abandoned vehicle
What happens after a vehicle has been reported as abandoned
We will carry out preliminary checks and potentially close any reports that do not meet the criteria of an abandoned vehicle.
We will visit to assess whether an investigation is required, and if so will inspect and photograph the vehicle. We may place a notice on a window.
Where possible we will write to the registered keeper to clarify the status of the vehicle.
Following the appropriate investigation, we may instruct our contractor to remove the vehicle to storage for 7 days before disposing of it.
There are many legislative steps we must comply with when investigating an abandoned vehicle so it may remain on site for some time while we carry these out.
If at any time the vehicle is claimed then it will no longer be considered abandoned and our investigation will cease.
How do I dispose of a vehicle?
If you have a vehicle you wish to dispose of please follow the Government’s guidance – Scrapping your vehicle and insurance write-offs: How to scrap your vehicle – GOV.UK