Abandoned Vehicles
We are
responsible for the removal of abandoned vehicles from roads and
other land in the open air; if a vehicle appears to be abandoned on
the highway or public land we can usually remove it in 7 days,
or if it is considered a danger it will be removed immediately.
Where a vehicle appears to have been abandoned on
private or occupied land, it may be removed at
the landowner's written request (some supporting evidence
may be required) or after service of a 15 day notice (conditions
apply).
The Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005 has introduced
powers to speed up the removal of abandoned vehicles and issue £200
Fixed Penalty Notices to those people it considers responsible. In
addition, there is a £150 charge for removal with a daily storage
charge of £20 from the date of seizure. Vehicles are ultimately
scrapped, with many of the components being recycled.
You can read about Ashford Borough Council's policy regarding abandoned
vehicles here 66KB PDF.
DEFRA
have produced a booklet about Nuisance Parking and Abandoned Vehicles 288KB
PDF .
Report an abandoned
vehicle
End of life vehicles
There are several options open to vehicle owners who want to
dispose of old vehicles, which are listed below.
1 If you own a
vehicle which has reached the end of its life, and don't know how
to deal with it, there are over 35 vehicle breakers in Kent who are
approved ELV treatment facilities. These companies make sure that
every component and fluid from your vehicle is safely and legally
recycled. Most companies will currently pay cash for your vehicle
(but check first) and collect it from your home.
2 Working in
conjunction with a nationwide salvage operator Giveacar is able to
collect any car or vehicle from anywhere in the UK, at no cost to
the owner. Giveacar also cares for the environment, and cars that
are not auctionable are de-polluted, recycled and disposed of in
accordance with DVLA and Environmental Agency guidelines. A minimum
of 85% of the weight of the car is recycled, and each car raises an
average of £80 for charity. Last month alone, generous donations of
unwanted cars raised over £20,000 for registered charities in the
UK.
Click here to go to the Giveacar
website
3 Here is a list of
DEFRA approved vehicle recycling companies in
Kent.
4 KCC operate a free
vehicle surrender scheme -
follow this link to their website
Untaxed Vehicles
Vehicles used or kept on a public road
without a Vehicle Excise Licence, are primarily dealt with by the
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency -
www.dvla.gov.uk (DVLA) on 08000 325
202. Vehicles causing an obstruction, or left in a dangerous
position, are the responsibility of the Police. We do not have
powers to remove a vehicle which is simply ‘untaxed’. We do however
work closely with KCC, Kent Police and DVLA partners in
multi agency initiatives, such as
Operation Cubit and in exchanging information which may lead to
a prosecution.
What happens if you don’t tax your vehicle or make a
SORN?
If you have not made a SORN (Statutory Off
Road Notification) and your vehicle is not taxed, an automatic
penalty of £80 will apply. Your vehicle could also be clamped and
taken away from you.
There’s no way
out!
Your vehicle doesn’t even need to be seen on
the road for an offence to have been committed. The Driver and
Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) carries out a check of its records
each month to identify untaxed vehicles. DVLA has the authority to
carry out enforcement action against you using the information held
on its records.
As well as this, DVLA works in partnership
with the police and local authorities in operating wheel clamping
schemes. Using Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) they
identify, clamp and tow away untaxed vehicles.
Your car will be
crushed!
In Kent, Operation Cubit actively targets
untaxed vehicles using ANPR and by patrolling streets. Vehicles are
immediately removed if the owners do not or cannot pay the relevant
fine (currently £260 plus any back tax). Unclaimed vehicles are
crushed in 7 days. Kent is the best performing local authority when
it comes to removing untaxed vehicles.
Operation Cubit
news
Last year (August 2010 - July 2011) 103 untaxed vehicles
were targeted by Operation Cubit in Ashford. Of these, 17 owners
paid the £260 on the spot fine (plus any back tax), 40 vehicles
were removed but returned after the fine was paid, and 46 vehicles
were removed and crushed.
Report an untaxed
vehicle
This webpage was updated on
10/20/2011