Abandoned vehicles
Any vehicle which has been discarded by the owner, and has not been moved for some weeks, is considered abandoned.
Abandoned vehicles can invite vandalism and anti social behaviour.
Choose
Set your location
Some pages have specific information about the service related to your area. Please use the form to find your address or choose one of the tabs above when available to view this information.
Can't find your property? Found a mistake in our data? Please complete our online form to help us improve our service.
Can't find your property? Found a mistake in our data? Please complete our online form to help us improve our service.
North
Every year Wiltshire Council investigates hundreds of reports of abandoned vehicles. Some of these turn out to be genuinely abandoned and have to be removed and destroyed after enquiries into their ownership.
If you think a vehicle has been abandoned in your area, please ensure you have the following details available when you report it to us.
- Has the vehicle got a valid tax disc?
- The exact location of the vehicle.
- The vehicle make, model and colour.
- The vehicle registration number.
- Is the vehicle on private land? (see below)
Please note, if the vehicle is taxed, it is not technically abandoned.
Report an Abandoned Vehicle by using the online Abandoned Vehicles Report Form
As soon as we have received your report into a suspected abandoned vehicle, investigations will commence into ascertaining the owner of the vehicle, steps will be taken into removing the vehicle if there is no keeper.
If there is a registered keeper, a removal notice will be posted on the vehicle which will give the owner some time to remove it themselves, if we receive no contact from the owner and the vehicle is still in situ after the allocated timescale, the vehicle will be removed and steps will be taken into recovering the costs of removal and/or destruction from the Last Registered Keeper.
Investigations into the status of abandoned vehicles can be time consuming as older vehicles, typically reported as abandoned can have changed hands many times.
If you have any queries regarding this service, please contact Parking Services:
Tel: 01249 706131
Abandoned Vehicles on Private Land
Before contacting the Council you will need to have made preliminary enquiries as to who owns the vehicle, this may involve contacting the police. If this is unsuccessful please complete the Abandoned Vehicles Report Form and send to the address below providing proof of land ownership and written permission to access the land in order to remove the vehicle.
Frequently Asked Questions regarding an Abandoned Vehicle
1. What if the vehicle is taxed and I don't know the owner?
This vehicle is not technically abandoned, therefore the Council have no responsibility to remove the vehicle.
2. What if the vehicle is untaxed and I don't know the owner?
This vehicle maybe classed as abandoned and can be reported using our online abandoned vehicle report form.
3. What if the vehicle is untaxed and I know the owner lives locally?
If the owner lives locally then it cannot be classed as abandoned, however as the vehicle is untaxed it must be reported to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency.
4. What if the vehicle has just been left on the street for weeks, it is taxed and I know the owner.
It is not abandoned. If it is causing an obstruction or the tax laspes, then you need to contact the police. Their non-emergency telephone number is: 0845 4087000
Contact Details
Email: customerservicesnorth@wiltshire.gov.uk
Telephone: 01249 706111
Postal Address:
Wiltshire Council
Monkton Park
Chippenham
Wiltshire
SN15
1ER
In Person:
Wiltshire Council
Monkton Park
Chippenham
Wiltshire
SN15
1ER
Some services differ based on where you live. Why is this?
South
About this service
Use this service to report a vehicle that you believe has been abandoned.
Wiltshire Council removes hundreds of abandoned vehicles from the highway and public land each year. We aim to do this responsibly, quickly and cost-effectively. Vehicles abandoned on private or other land can also be removed with the co-operation of the landowner or agent.
Having determined that a vehicle is abandoned, enquiries are made with the DVLA to find out who was the last registered owner. In most cases a notice is either affixed to the vehicle for seven days or sent to the registered owner giving them an opportunity to remove the vehicle. If the vehicle is still on site when the notice expires the vehicle is removed and destroyed. If an abandoned vehicle is considered to be particularly hazardous or causing an obstruction to traffic it may be removed without notice.
The contractor currently engaged by the council to remove, store and dispose of these vehicles is Devizes Reclamation.
The efficient removal of abandoned vehicles from south Wiltshire contributes to:
- increased safety for road users and pedestrians;
- a reduction in vandalism and antisocial behaviour; and
- protection and improvement of the local environment.
Untaxed, un-roadworthy or illegally parked vehicles are not necessarily abandoned. The local police and the DVLA should be contacted if an untaxed vehicle is being used on the road.
You will need
- Your name, address and telephone number
- Registration number of abandoned vehicle (if displayed)
- Make, model and colour of vehicle
- Whether vehicle has current tax disc displayed
- Location (name of street or village, whether on highway, car park, etc.)
- How long it has been there
- Details of any known owner
Forms
Contact Details
Email: enhmail@salisbury.gov.uk
Telephone: 01722 434319 or 01722 434320
Postal Address:
Environmental Services
Wiltshire Council
PO
Box 2126
Salisbury
SP2 2DJ
In Person:
Wiltshire Council
27-29 Milford Street
Salisbury
SP1 2AP
Some services differ based on where you live. Why is this?
East
About this service
The Council, under provisions in the Refuse Disposal (Amenity Act) 1978
has a duty, where practicable, to remove vehicles deemed abandoned from land open to the air.
The
Council interprets the definition of abandoned as a vehicle having no known owner. If the owner of the
vehicle is known to the Council, or the owner claims the vehicle during the notification of removal
period, it cannot be removed. The Council cannot move vehicles from private land if the landowner objects
to the removal. However, if the vehicle is reported as burnt out or severely vandalised, it may be removed
within 24 hours.
If you think a vehicle has been abandoned, please provide
the following details:
- Has the vehicle got a valid tax disc?
- The exact location of the vehicle
- The vehicle make, model and colour
- The vehicle registration number
- Is the vehicle on private land?
Please
note, if the vehicle is taxed, it is not technically abandoned.
In most cases a notice is either affixed to the vehicle for seven days or sent to the registered owner giving them an opportunity to remove the vehicle. If the vehicle is still on site when the notice expires, the vehicle is removed and destroyed. If an abandoned vehicle is considered particularly hazardous or causing an obstruction to traffic it may be removed without notice.
A vehicle without a current tax disc which is being used or parked on
the highway is a DVLA Offence. You can request a statement form from DVLA to report the vehicle as being
untaxed. Please contact DVLA on 029 2075 3355.
The Police Role - all alleged abandoned vehicle complaints received by the Police are checked to see if the vehicle has been reported stolen or involved in a crime. If this is the case, the Police deal with the removal. If the vehicle has been left in a dangerous position, or it is considered unsafe, then the police have powers to remove it straightaway.
Contact Details
Email: customerserviceseast@wiltshire.gov.uk
Telephone: 01380 734849
Postal Address:
Kennet House
Sergeant Rogers Way
Hopton Industrial
Estate
Devizes
SN10
2ET
In Person:
Wiltshire Council
Browfort
Bath Road
Devizes
Wiltshire
SN10
2AT
Some services differ based on where you live. Why is this?
West
About this service
If you suspect that a vehicle has been abandoned, please check if it has a valid tax disc. If it does, then we are unlikely to be able to treat it as abandoned.
When we log your complaint regarding a possible abandoned vehicle, we wait approximately two weeks before inspection, unless the vehicle is reported burnt out or severely vandalised, in which case we will remove within 24 hours.
A high number of complaints we receive are often from people objecting to an unknown vehicle being parked outside their property on the highway. After the interim period of two weeks, we often find that a high percentage of these suspected abandoned vehicles have gone
Reporting an untaxed vehicle
A vehicle without a current tax disc which is being used or parked on the highway is a DVLA Offence. You can request a statement form from DVLA to report the vehicle as being untaxed, please contact DVLA on (029) 2075 3355
The Police role
All alleged abandoned vehicle complaints received by the police are checked to see if the vehicle has been reported stolen or involved in a crime. If this is the case, the police deal with the removal.
If the vehicle has been left in a dangerous position, or it is considered to be unsafe, then the police have powers to remove it straightaway.
If the vehicle has not been stolen, and it is not considered dangerous, then the police forward the details of the vehicle to us to process as abandoned.
If you are reporting an abandoned vehicle we will need to know the car registration, location of the vehicle, colour, make and model, and condition of the vehicle.
Who to contact if a vehicle has been abandoned
This depends on where the vehicle has been abandoned:
If the vehicle is on the highway, paths or open spaces, contact West Wiltshire District Council on 01225 776655 or email customerservices@westwiltshire.gov.uk
If the vehicle is on land or a car park owned by Selwood Housing you should contact the Selwood Housing on (01225) 715715 or email
If the vehicle is on private land we need written consent from the land owner to remove the vehicle.
If the vehicle is on land owned by Wiltshire Council you should contact them on 01225 713000 or email customercare@wiltshire.gov.uk
Contact Details
Email: customerserviceswest@wiltshire.gov.uk
Telephone: 01225 776655
Postal Address:
Wiltshire Council
Bradley Road
Trowbridge
Wiltshire
BA14
0RD
In Person:
Wiltshire Council
Bradley Road
Trowbridge
Wiltshire
BA14
0RD
Some services differ based on where you live. Why is this?
