Renfrewshire Council

What an abandoned vehicle is

It's not always clear if a vehicle has been abandoned.

Signs it has been abandoned can include:

• flat tyres or missing wheels
• litter or leaves under the vehicle, mould or vegetation growing inside the vehicle - this may mean that it has not moved for some time
• smashed windscreen or windows
• missing number plates
• it contains items of waste such as tyres, old newspapers, or general rubbish
• vehicle parts, like the bumper, seats or radio, have been removed or damaged
• graffiti on the vehicle
• wires hanging from the dashboard because the vehicle has been 'hot-wired' - it has been driven without keys by connecting ignition wires together.

If you find an abandoned vehicle

If you find an abandoned vehicle, do not enter or touch the vehicle. 

It could contain hazardous waste, be a fire risk, or have been used in a crime.

If it has been involved in a crime, the police will need to investigate it. 

Before you report it to us

Tell the police

If the vehicle is a danger to the public or causing an obstruction on a road, footpath, or cycle route, phone 101 to report it to the police.

Check if it's taxed

If it's not taxed, or it's not exempt from tax, report the untaxed vehicle to the Driver & Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) on GOV.UK. 

Only the DVLA can remove untaxed vehicles. The council cannot remove them unless they are a risk to public health.

Some vehicles are exempt from tax if they are registered as off the road - they have a 'Statutory Off-Road Notification' (SORN). For example, they are not in use, are not in a public place or are a historical vehicle.

You can check if a vehicle is taxed on the GOV.UK website. 

You'll need to tell them the vehicle registration number, make, model and colour of the vehicle and the street name, town and postcode where you saw it.

Check with neighbours

Check with your neighbours or local businesses to see if anyone knows who the vehicle belongs to. 

If you still think it's abandoned

If you still think it's abandoned, report it to us. 

Tell us as much information as you can, like:

• what kind of vehicle it is, such as a bike, car, motorbike, van or something else
• the vehicle brand, manufacturer, model or colour
• what condition it's in, like if it's damaged, vandalised or burnt out
• the registration plate number
• how long it has been there
• a nearby address or the nearest street or landmark, and where the vehicle is in this place
• if it's on private land, council-owned land, or you're not sure
• any other information.

You can also upload photos of the vehicle or location if you have them.

If you tell us your name, email address or phone number, we may contact you if we need more information or we can't find anything.

Report an abandoned vehicle.

What we do with abandoned vehicles

We will try to find the owner, but if we do not, we'll remove the vehicle. 

There may a cost to remove abandoned vehicles from privately owned land or property, depending on how easy or difficult it is to remove it. 

If the vehicle is in a bad condition, it may be destroyed after 24 hours.

Otherwise, we will keep it for a maximum of 7 days. After 7 days, we'll either send it to be scrapped or sell it at auction.

If we trace the owner, they'll have to pay a charge for the removal and storage of the vehicle.