Who has responsibility for removing abandoned vehicles?
Ultimately abandoned vehicle removal and disposal is the responsibility of the council, however the problem costs the council enormous amounts of money, which could be spent on more important services in your neighbourhood.
Under the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005, councils have a duty to remove a vehicle which is abandoned in their area, on any land in the open air, or on any other land which forms part of a highway. However, this does not cover vehicles abandoned on private land where the costs of removing a vehicle to the nearest carriageway are unreasonably high. Under this act, abandoning a vehicle is a criminal offence, carrying a maximum fine of £2,500 or three month imprisonment or both. An authorised officer may issue a fixed penalty notice of £200 as an alternative to prosecution.