Introduction
The council have powers to remove abandoned vehicles from the public highway under the Refuse Disposal (Amenity) Act 1978.
People often confuse a genuinely abandoned vehicle that we have the powers to tackle and remove, with a nuisance and/or untaxed vehicle we can't do anything about.
The council will only remove a vehicle if the investigating Officer is satisfied that the vehicle is abandoned in accordance with set criteria.
In making this decision the Investigating Officer will consider a range of factors such as the age and condition of the vehicle, whether it is in tax, and anything that indicates that the vehicle is not in regular use.
The council will not normally remove a vehicle that is taxed and in good condition unless there is strong evidence that it has not been in use for a long time and has been left on the highway or on private land without permission of the landowner.
Please note:
- do not report a vehicle unless you have good reason to think that it may have been abandoned.
- If the vehicle is causing a parking problem but not abandoned, please email parking.enforcement@peterborough.gov.uk.
- If you want to report a vehicle that is causing an obstruction of the highway and is a possible safety hazard, please call the Police on 101.
- If the suspected abandoned vehicle is on land owned by a residential social landlord such as Cross keys Homes you should report it to them in the first instance.
Abandoned vehicles on private land
We can remove abandoned vehicles on private land if requested by the landowner.
If they decide to use us to remove the vehicle, there is a charge to cover costs (£50 plus VAT per vehicle (subject to vehicle type and size).
The landowner does not have to report it to the council to remove an abandoned vehicle on their land, they can take private action to remove it.
