IS AN UNTAXED VEHICLE ABANDONED? Not necessarily. The Council, do not deal with untaxed vehicles. You should contact the DVLA at Chelmsford. The Council has no powers to deal with untaxed vehicles, which have not been abandoned.

DOES THE COUNCIL HAVE TO PAY FOR THE REMOVAL OF ABANDONED VEHICLES? Yes. There are more and more abandoned vehicles being reported every month. Many hours of Officers time is being used dealing with the procedure of removal. Every year the removal of abandoned vehicles costs the Council tax payer thousands of pounds.

This Council removes around 50 vehicles per month. If you witnessed or know the owner of a vehicle, which has been abandoned, please let us know, so that we can recover some of the costs.

WHAT DOES A 'POLICE AWARE' STICKER ATTACHED TO A CAR MEAN?

The Police affix such notices to vehicles that they would like removed by the owner/keeper. If the vehicle is not moved and the Police do not know of any owner, they will then normally arrange for the vehicle to be removed.

WHAT DOES THE COUNCIL DO WHEN IT KNOWS OF AN ABANDONED VEHICLE?

The Council will attach a Notice to the vehicle demanding the owner to contact the Council within a given period. If after the time no owner has claimed his or her vehicle, a second inspection is made and the Council then has a legal duty to make all reasonable enquiries to find out who owns or normally keeps the vehicle.

The Council's contractor will be notified to tow the vehicle away. After the enquiries have been completed and if the owner has not claimed the vehicle, it will be dismantled for spare parts. The remaining material will be sent for recycling.

WHAT DOES THE COUNCIL DO IF A VEHICLE IS ABANDONED ON PRIVATE LAND AND NOT IN THE STREET?

The Council will start the legal procedure, only if the owner of the private land requests the Council to do so in writing. The Council generally deals with abandoned vehicles on the public highway, i.e. in streets within the District.

WHAT ACTION CAN BE TAKEN AGAINST SOMEONE WHO ABANDONS THEIR CAR?

Where evidence is obtained from DVLA or a witness, the owner will be taken to Court and could face a fine up to £2,500.

VEHICLES ILLEGALLY, OBSTRUCTIVELY OR DANGEROUSLY PARKED

Irrespective of whether a vehicle is taxed or not, these vehicles must be reported to the police as they can arrange for vehicles to be removed straight away.

AVOID BREAKING THE LAW WHEN SELLING YOUR CAR

When you sell your vehicle, complete the blue part of the registration document with the purchaser's name and address (the purchaser should sign the declaration box to confirm these details). Sign the declaration box yourself and send the blue part only to DVLA Swansea.

Complete the green part with the purchaser's details and give it to the new keeper.

Only complete the red part when selling to a member of the motor trade.

Don't give the whole document to the buyer for them to complete - you will only be leaving yourself open to problems at a later date.

COUNCIL POLICY

To park your vehicle on council owned land you need your vehicle to be taxed and insured. The Council will remove vehicles on their land where they do not comply with the above.

REPORTING AN ABANDONED VEHICLE

Please call our Customer Service Centre on 01376 552525 or Email - - csc@braintree.gov.uk

Or... Report it via the Web

It helps us if you can gather the following information before reporting a vehicle: -

Registration number.

Make and type of vehicle.

Date since apparent abandonment.

Location.

Condition of vehicle

If it has a current road fund license

HOW CAN I DISPOSE OF MY VEHICLE? This Council operates a responsible ownership scheme. Bring your registration document, another form of identification (driving licence, passport) and £25 to one of the Council offices and we will arrange for our contractor to collect your car from home. Alternatively, if your car is still roadworthy and legal on the road you can take it to the contractor directly for no charge. You must still bring your registration document and identification to the Council office to take advantage of this scheme.