Portsmouth City Council must investigate and remove abandoned vehicles under the Refuse Disposal and Amenity Act 1978.
We investigate reports of abandoned vehicles in Portsmouth and remove vehicles when there is enough evidence that they have been abandoned.
It’s illegal to abandon a vehicle, or any part of a vehicle, on a road or any other land. If someone abandons a vehicle, they may get a £200 fixed penalty notice. They could also be taken to court and fined up to £2,500, sent to prison for up to 3 months, or both.
What counts as an abandoned vehicle
There is no fixed legal definition of an abandoned vehicle.
Council officers decide if a vehicle may have been abandoned by looking at the evidence. They may look for signs such as:
- the vehicle has no registered keeper
- the wheels are missing, or the tyres are flat or badly damaged
- the vehicle identification or number plates are missing
- the windows or lights are broken
- the vehicle is burnt out or badly vandalised
- the vehicle has no valid tax or MOT
What happens next
- We create a case when we receive your abandoned vehicle report.
- We check our records for any previous reports or information about the vehicle.
- We visit the vehicle to check its condition, whether it is secure and to take photos as evidence.
- We may check information with the DVLA, police or other agencies if needed.
- If there is enough evidence that the vehicle has been abandoned, we will issue a notice. This will be sent to the registered keeper, if there is one. If there is no registered keeper, we will place the notice on the vehicle. The notice gives 7 days for the vehicle to be removed. If it is not removed, we can remove it.
- If the vehicle is burnt out or badly vandalised, we may remove and dispose of it straight away without notice.
Caravans, trailers and boats
Caravans, trailers and boats should not be stored on the road if they are not attached to a vehicle. We may treat this as an unreasonable use of the highway.
If we receive a report about an unattached caravan, trailer or boat on the road, we may treat it as a structure under the Highways Act 1980. We can issue a formal notice giving the owner one calendar month to remove it from the road.
If it is not removed, we can remove it and store it at our storage facility. The council can recover reasonable removal, storage and disposal costs. We will give the owner 14 days to pay the costs and claim the caravan, trailer or boat.
If it is not claimed within 14 days, we can dispose of it. If we find the owner, we may invoice them for the full costs and they may be prosecuted.
Untaxed vehicles
Vehicles no longer need to display a tax disc. You can check if a vehicle is taxed online. If the vehicle has been untaxed for more than one month, you can report it to the DVLA.
Find out more about reporting an untaxed vehicle on GOV.UK.
General vehicle enforcement
Some vehicle issues, such as no MOT or no motor insurance, are not enforced by the Council. They are dealt with by other organisations, such as the police or DVLA.
Check the Public Information Guide to find out who to contact about different vehicle enforcement issues.