Report an abandoned vehicle

If a vehicle is on fire or being vandalised - Call 999 for fire brigade or police.


We have a legal duty to deal with motor vehicles which have been abandoned in Herefordshire.

Before we do anything, we have to be satisfied that the vehicle is abandoned. We cannot act simply because someone claims it is.

Check if the vehicle is taxed

Abandoned vehicles are often confused with a nuisance and/or untaxed vehicle. If you suspect a vehicle has been abandoned on a public road, please find out first if the vehicle is taxed or not.

You can do this quickly and easily by entering the registration number on the DVLA website.

Check if the vehicle is taxed and has an MOT

Then see below for who to report it to.

Untaxed vehicles or vehicles with no MOT

Nuisance vehicles

  • Vehicle blocking a public road or footpath - Call the police on 101
  • Vehicle parked on double yellow lines or double-parked - Contact parking enforcement team, email: parking@herefordshire.gov.uk Call: 01432 260974

When to report a suspected abandoned vehicle to us

Before you report a suspected abandoned vehicle to us, please check that it meets our criteria below.

We will investigate as abandoned, a vehicle which has been at its current location, on a public road, for 21 days or more and has NO road tax and when at least three of the following apply:

  • It has flat tyres or any of the wheels have been removed
  • There is litter under the vehicle indicating it has not been moved for some time
  • The windscreen or windows have been broken
  • There is mould on either the inside or outside of the vehicle
  • There is significant waste inside the vehicle, for example, old tyres, old newspapers, general rubbish
  • It doesn’t have number plates
  • It has been hot wired – wires hanging down from the dashboard where it has been started by connecting ignition wires together
  • It has been vandalised, either outside or inside - for example, seat covers slashed, radio stolen, dents in bodywork, graffiti, bumpers or spoilers removed

We cannot treat a vehicle as abandoned on a public road, or take any action if:

  • It has road tax, MOT and there are no parking restrictions where it is parked on the road
  • It has foreign number plates

Report a suspected abandoned vehicle on a public highway

You need to tell us:

  • Your name and address
  • Information about the vehicle - registration number, make, model, colour
  • Vehicle’s location

What happens after you report an abandoned vehicle to us

We will:

  • Try to contact the owner
  • Leave a notice on the vehicle for 7 days, warning that it will be removed if no one claims it 
  • After the above notice period has lapsed, we will send a referral to a removal company who will collect the vehicle on our behalf
  • After collection the vehicle will be stored for a period of 21 days, after which time it will be destroyed.

Abandoned vehicle on private land

The land owner should:

We can only remove abandoned vehicles from private land with the land owner's consent.