Abandoned vehicles can have a significant impact on our local environment. They devalue the area, promote deterioration and can lead to anti-social behaviour.
Cambridge City Council has a duty to investigate all reports of abandoned vehicles.
How to identify an abandoned vehicle
You can use the following criteria to help determine whether a vehicle is abandoned:
- Has the vehicle been parked without moving for two weeks or more?
- Is the vehicle untaxed?
- Are there any flat tyres or removed wheels?
- Is the windscreen or any of the windows broken?
- Is the vehicle mouldy or rusty?
- Is there waste inside the vehicle?
- Are there there wires hanging from the dashboard?
If the answer to more than one of the criteria is yes, you may be looking at an abandoned vehicle.
How to report an abandoned vehicle
Please contact us with details of the vehicle make, model, registration, colour and location. See the contact details at the bottom of this page.
What the council does about abandoned vehicles
All abandoned vehicle reports received by the council will be investigated. If the vehicle is believed to be abandoned, a notice will be served on it and attempts will be made to contact the last registered keeper.
If the vehicle remains unmoved after the notice has expired and no owner comes forward, it will be removed and stored for 21 days. If the vehicle remains unclaimed after this period, it will be recycled.
What to do if your vehicle has a notice stuck to it
If your vehicle has a notice stuck to it or has been removed by the council and you wish to claim it, you must contact us. See the bottom of this page for our contact details.
Penalties for abandoning a vehicle
Abandoning a vehicle is a criminal offence. The council can prosecute the last registered keeper of a vehicle for this offence.
The maximum penalty on conviction is a fine not exceeding £2,500 and/or imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months.
Alternatively, the council may issue a fixed penalty notice of £200.
How to dispose of a vehicle you no longer want
If you own a vehicle that you no longer want and would like to dispose of it, you will need to contact an Authorised Treatment Facility (ATF) who will recycle it for you. The following web sites provided details of your nearest ATFs:
They may be able to collect and even pay you for the vehicle.
Alternatively, the council offers a removal service for unwanted vehicles. If you are the registered keeper and have the log book (V5C) available you can contact the council for further information. A fee (currently £85.00) is charged for this service.
Further information about abandoned vehicle legislation is available on the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs website.
Untaxed vehicles
Every vehicle registered in the United Kingdom must be taxed if used or kept on a public road. If the vehicle is kept off-road it must either be taxed or have a Sorn (Statutory Off Road Notification) in force. If not it could be wheelclamped or removed without notice by either Cambridge City Council or the Driving and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA).
The Driving and Vehicle Licensing Agency's Wheelclamping and Removal of Vehicles Without Tax contains further information.
Contact
For more information or to request the removal of an abandoned vehicle please email streetenforcement@cambridge.gov.uk or telephone 01223 457000.
