• print page
• email this page
• ask a question

Abandoned and Untaxed Cars

Reporting an abandoned car

General
The Council receives every week a significant number of reports of abandoned vehicles from members of the public. Most vehicles are left in the road, and 'the road' in this case means the Public Highway. Many people are rightly concerned by the deleterious effect caused by dumped cars on their street environment, the attraction of vandals, increased risk of other crime, risk of fire, and the general nuisance where parking is in short supply locally. Untaxed cars are also offensive to those of us who operate our own cars within the law. People who leave their unwanted cars around the streets are selfish, irresponsible and thoughtless. Furthermore, DVLA information suggests that many of the abandoned cars have been operated unregistered, untaxed and probably uninsured for periods prior to their abandonment. Surrey Heath Borough Council currently operate an untaxed vehicles scheme under the guidance of DVLA. This scheme operates under The Vehicle Excise Duty (Immobilisation, Removal and Disposal of Vehicles) Regulations 1997. This legislation allows for the instant removal of untaxed vehicles located on the public highway and some private roads.

Receiving Reports
All reports of apparently abandoned and untaxed cars are followed up and investigated by the Council. All cars which have been heavily vandalised and in dangerous condition or those burned-out can be removed in 24 hours. Those which appear to have been abandoned and are causing a hazard to road safety can be removed in 24 hours. Those in a safe condition will be affixed with a 7 day Notice and will be removed after the expiry of the Notice. Untaxed vehicles can be removed within hours.

Investigation and DVLA information
Some cars reported as 'abandoned' are clearly not in fact abandoned; they are merely untaxed, possibly not used often or are being stored on the road. Others could be in regular use. The officer who follows up a complaint has to make a judgment when he examines the car on site. Where these circumstances apply, and no tax disc is showing, the officer reports the matter to DVLA immediately and obtains their permission to remove the vehicle. Our contractor is then instructed to remove it. For untaxed vehicles from then on any fines or payments due are dealt with by the contractor or DVLA and the Council has no further involvement.

All cars reported to the Council are checked against DVLA records. These sometimes indicate that a car which looks abandoned is in fact registered and taxed but the disc not displayed in the screen. Sometimes an owner will respond to a Notice attached to his car and contact the Council to advise that he wishes to retain it and gives an undertaking to move it off the highway. Any parked car causing a traffic hazard or an illegally parked car which is not in an unsafe condition is a matter for the police, not the Council. If the Police establish in such cases that a vehicle is probably abandoned, they will pass a report to the Council to deal with it.

There are a number of answers to common queries on our abandoned/untaxed FAQ of this website, especially if you have had your vehicle removed.

Dilapidated cars on private land
The Council can take action on abandoned and dilapidated cars on privately owned land where such land is open and accessible to the public. In such cases an environmental hazard is recognised and the Council can use its powers to remove the hazard or nuisance. If you have any anxieties with regard to dumped cars in these circumstances, please report it and the Council will investigate and take appropriate action.

Information

The cost of dealing with abandoned cars in the Borough
The total costs of dealing with dumped cars are high, and if you live in the Borough, you are helping to meet the expense through your Council Tax and Income Tax. The procedural problems are far from simple and the Council can be liable for compensation if it acts incorrectly or outside the law. The Council operates a policy that is in line with current legislation issued by Central Government but which minimises the cost of the disposal operation. In its policy, the Council strikes a balance between protection of the environment and the minimisation of costs for disposal of the cars. Please bear this in mind when reporting your problem. If you reported an abandoned car some time ago which is still on site, there are most likely, good reasons.  The amenity officer will be pleased to explain to you on Tel: 01276 707237. Whilst efforts are made to recover costs from offending owners, in practice, this is very rarely achieved. The costs of legal proceedings to recover costs usually exceed the cost of disposal of the car.

See also FAQs for Abandoned Cars