Abandoned and end of life vehicles

Abandoned vehicles are removed by your local district, borough or city council. If the vehicle is causing an obstruction or is dangerous, it can also be removed by the police.

If you're not sure which local council to contact, visit find your local council and enter the name of the road where the vehicle has been abandoned into the search. Choose the closest address to the vehicle, then select District Council/Boundaries.

When you report the vehicle, it's helpful if you can provide the following information: vehicle location, whether it's dangerous or causing an obstruction, the condition it's in, registration, make, model and colour.

Getting rid of end of life vehicles

Government regulations mean car registered keepers or owners are entitled to free take-back for their old vehicles. Car manufacturers have established a nationwide network to accept them.

If your vehicle has come to the end of its life, you can use a car recycling service like Rewarding Recycling or CarTakeBack to get rid of it.

Our powers and what to do if your vehicle is removed

What is a 'vehicle'?

A vehicle means any vehicle, whether or not it is in a fit state for use on roads, and includes any chassis or body, with or without wheels, appearing to have formed part of such a vehicle, and any load carried by, and anything attached to, such a vehicle.

What powers does the Council have?

Under the Refuse Disposal (Amenity) Act 1978, the Waste Collection Authority (local councils) has a duty to remove vehicles that appear to be abandoned in its area.

The Waste Disposal Authority (Norfolk County Council) has a duty to store and dispose of abandoned vehicles.

Norfolk County Council is also entitled to recover costs from any person responsible as laid down in the Removal, Storage and Disposal of Vehicles (Prescribed Sums and Charges etc) Regulations 2008. If you are the Registered Keeper or Owner of a vehicle that has been deemed abandoned, then you are responsible for these costs.

Why was my vehicle removed?

The vehicle appeared to be abandoned for one or more of these reasons:

Untaxed (not a reason on its own)
No MOT
No current vehicle keeper on DVLA records
Stationary for a significant amount of time
Significantly damaged, run down or un-roadworthy (eg flat tyres, wheels removed, broken windows or lacking one or more of its number plates)
Burned out
Containing waste
Causing an obstruction

This is not an exhaustive list and a vehicle would not have to be displaying the full list to be considered abandoned.

What should I do if my vehicle was not abandoned?

Contact us with the details at [email protected]. We may refer you to the Waste Collection Authority for your area for additional information.

Why was my vehicle disposed of?

A vehicle will always be disposed of if it has no registration plate or it is in a dangerous condition.

A vehicle is in a dangerous condition if one or more of these conditions apply:

Burnt out
Environmental Hazard - Leaking fluid (eg oil, fuel, brake)
Flat tyres
Wheels removed
Broken windows
Containing dangerous waste (eg needles, blood, faeces, munitions)

Vehicles will be stored in situ (subject to not being classed as dangerous or attracting anti-social behaviour) for a minimum of seven days. They will then be disposed of if any or all of the following apply:

the Registered Keeper or Owner fails to make contact with the District/City or Borough Council who served the notice
the Registered Keeper or Owner Move the vehicle from its location to private land that you also have permission to use
the Registered Keeper or Owner Taxes and MOT's the vehicle (if applicable)

Why was my vehicle stored?

We store vehicles for seven days, in certain circumstances, while we try to find the registered keeper or owner. It will be stored if it is displaying a registration plate (including non-GB registration plates) and not in a dangerous condition or suspected of being involved in crime.

How do I prove I'm the registered keeper or owner?

We accept proof of ownership if you are registered with the DVLA as the vehicle's keeper, or you possess the vehicle registration certificate form V5, or the new keeper supplement.

If the vehicle is an unregistered trailer then payment of removal and storage costs will be accepted as proof of ownership.

If the vehicle is non-GB registered then payment of removal and storage costs by the holder of a valid non-GB passport will be accepted as proof of ownership.

What should I do if I am not the registered keeper or owner anymore?

If you can prove that you are no longer the registered keeper or owner of the vehicle, email [email protected] and the charges may be waived.

How do I get my vehicle back?

If your vehicle has been stored and not disposed of, you must pay the statutory charges that have been invoiced for it to be released.

If your vehicle has been destroyed, and you are the Registered Keeper, you are still responsible for these charges and may be pursued for these.

If you only wish to claim any contents and not the vehicle, you will still need to pay the statutory charges that have been invoiced to you, as the contents are deemed abandoned if the vehicle is deemed abandoned.

How can I get only the contents of my vehicle back?

The contents of any vehicle are part of the load carried by the vehicle. We will need to be satisfied that you are the vehicle's registered keeper or owner before returning any contents.

If your car has been stored, and you contact us prior to disposal, you can collect the contents from our contractor. You will be required to pay any costs for removal, storage and disposal before we return any contents to you.

Vehicles containing dangerous waste will be disposed of, along with the contents.

What are the costs of removal, storage and disposal, and can I challenge them?

The removal, storage and disposal costs are statutory charges laid down in the Removal, Storage and Disposal of Vehicles (Prescribed Sums and Charges) Regulations 2008.

Charges depend on the type, position, and condition of vehicle. The charges for a car start at:

At £192 for removal
At £26 a day for storage
At £96 for disposal

The costs cannot be challenged as they are statutory charges. Although, they can be waived if you have the official documentation to prove you are no longer the Registered Owner or Keeper of the vehicle.

How can I pay?

Please refer to the information provided with your invoice on 'How to pay'.

How are vehicles disposed of?

Abandoned vehicles will be disposed of in accordance with the End-of-life Vehicles (Producer Responsibility) Regulations 2005.