Abandoned vehicles and the law

Local authorities are under a duty under Section 3 of the Refuse Disposal (Amenity) Act 1978, to remove a vehicle which is abandoned in their area, on any land in the open air, or on any other land forming part of a highway. However this does not cover vehicles abandoned on private land. Under this Act, abandoning a vehicle is a criminal offence, carrying a maximum penalty of a fine of £2,500 or three months’ imprisonment, or both.

Local authorities have the power to recover costs of removal, storage and disposal from the person responsible for the abandonment of the vehicle. This can mean “the owner of the vehicle at the time when is was put in the place from which it was removed, unless he/she can show that he/she was not concerned in and did not know of its being put there”.

The amounts that the local authority can reclaim are:

£105 in respect of the removal of the vehicle

£12 per 24 hours or part thereof in respect of any period during which the vehicle is in the custody of the authority

£50 for the disposal of the vehicle.

Page last updated on: 24/11/2005