Abandoned cars and vehicles

An abandoned vehicle is a vehicle that the owner has left, with no plan of returning to it.  

It can be any of following:  

  • burnt out
  • poor condition or vandalised
  • left for a long time

How to identify an abandoned vehicle

A vehicle is not classed as 'abandoned' simply because it has been parked in the same place for a few days.

Before you report an abandoned vehicle, please collect as much information as possible to check if the vehicle is abandoned.

The following points should help:  

  • are any of the tyres flat?
  • is there litter or weeds under the vehicle?
  • is the windscreen or any of the windows broken?
  • is there any mould on either the inside or outside of the vehicle?
  • does the vehicle contain items, such as tyres, old newspapers or general rubbish?
  • does the vehicle have number plates?
  • has the vehicle been vandalised?