Abandoned Vehicles

It is also an offence to have a vehicle on the road without tax, or to have a vehicle on the road which has a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN).

We can begin the abandoned vehicle investigation process if the vehicle is not taxed and one of the following apply:

• It has no current registered keeper.
• It has been stationary for a significant amount of time.
• There is significant damage, it's run down, unroadworthy or burned out.
• It is lacking one or more of its number plates or contains waste.

However, there are also a number of situations where we have no statutory powers to act or enforce.

A vehicle is not considered to be abandoned if it is:

• Nuisance parking outside your house or on your street.
• Illegally/dangerously/badly parked.
• Recently crashed or broken down.
• Obstructing vehicle access.
• Obstructing utilities.
• Untaxed but being used.
• Uninsured/has no MOT.

If a vehicle is untaxed, it should be reported to the DVLA, who are able to undertake enforcement.

You can only report a vehicle with no MOT to the police if it's being used on a road.

You can check the Tax and MOT status of a vehicle online.

If the tax has expired, you can report an untaxed vehicle online.

If the vehicle is on private land, it should be reported to the landowner for enforcement.

If you consider the vehicle to be parked in a dangerous position, this will be the responsibility of the police.

If the vehicle is taxed and it is believed to be parked in breach of Traffic Regulation Orders, please refer to our report illegal parking page.