Watford Borough Council Abandoned vehicles - reporting and procedures

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Abandoned vehicles - reporting and procedures

Residents can now report an abandoned vehicle online, by post or over the telephone.

abandoned vehicle

When contacting the council to report an abandoned vehicle please provide the following information:

  •  Registration number
  • Make, model and colour
  • Location – please be as precise as you can giving road and nearest house number
  • How long it has been there
  • Tax expiry date if relevant
  • General condition and signs of damage, internally and externally
  • Your name and contact details – all personal information is held in the strictest confidence

You can now report an abandoned vehicle online by completing a simple form - or you can call us on tel: 235946 or email us using the address at the bottom of this page.

During the working week we aim to follow up each report within 24 hours with an inspection supported by DVLA and police national computer checks. Where we are not immediately satisfied that a vehicle has been abandoned we will either place an advisory note on the vehicle or contact the registered keeper asking for the vehicle to be moved or other action.

Once we are satisfied that a vehicle is abandoned the legislation allows us to act as follows, depending on where the vehicle has been left, its physical condition and circumstances:

Vehicles abandoned on a road may be removed without any notice. (A road under the Act means any part of a public highway, including verges, and any private or service road to which the public have access).

  • Vehicles considered to be fit only for destruction may be destroyed or disposed of immediately without notice.
  • Vehicles without both current tax and registration plates may also be destroyed or disposed of immediately without notice.
  • Vehicles not fit for destruction and with either registration plates or a current tax disc displayed will be held in storage while a seven day notice is issued to the vehicle's last registered keeper.
  • Vehicles left in the Council's custody after the expiry of a 7 Day Notice may be destroyed or disposed of immediately without further notice.

Vehicles abandoned in a public place other than a road (e.g. a public car park or on residential land)

  • Vehicles that present no risk that are only fit for destruction may have a 24hr destruction notice affixed allowing for the vehicle to be removed immediately on expiry.
  • All other vehicles, including "at risk" vehicles only fit for destruction, may be removed immediately and treated as 1.3 above.

Vehicles abandoned on private land (e.g. private car parks and forecourts) require a 15-day notice to be placed on the land concerned. Once removed no further notice needs to be issued before vehicle disposal.

  • The notice does not need to be affixed to the vehicle itself.
  • Any vehicle specified on the notice may be removed as soon as the occupier gives their permission, i.e. regardless of when the notice would otherwise automatically expire. The Council, however, cannot remove a vehicle where the occupier objects to its removal.
  • The council is not required to move a vehicle where the cost of doing so to the nearest carriageway location would be unreasonably high. In such cases the Council may request that the occupier contribute towards the cost of moving it to that location.

For more information

environmentalservices@watford.gov.uk


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