Anti-social behaviour helper

Summary of the problem

Dumping or abandoning vehicles on the public highway or private land is illegal and owners can be traced and prosecuted.

Abandoned vehicles can affect the quality of communities by making an area look run down and neglected, attracting vandalism and rubbish, and creating a fire risk.

Who can you report the problem to?

• Report the problem to your council online here at direct.gov

• Report the problem to your Anti-social Behaviour Coordinator, Team or local Neighbourhood Policing Team. Use our postcode search to find local contact details of your Neighbourhood Policing Team and other local contacts

• If you are the tenant of a social landlord (the council or a housing association), report it to your landlord

• You can also report the problem to the police using the non-emergency number. Find your local number here

• If you are the tenant of a social landlord (the council or a housing association), report it to your landlord

If you are unsure what to do or who to speak to, contact your anti-social behaviour team using. Use our postcode search to find local contact details. If they are not directly responsible they will be able to help you to find who is.

What can be done to tackle problems with abandoned vehicles?

Local councils are responsible for the removal of abandoned vehicles, whether on private land or the public highway. The police can also remove abandoned vehicles if necessary, for example when blocking roads.

• It is an offence to abandon any vehicle on any land in the open air and the person who dumped the car can be prosecuted in court under Section 2 of the Refuse Disposal (Amenity) Act 1978. A person could be given a £200 fixed penalty notice, or fined up £2,500 and/or three months in prison

• Under Section 146 of the Powers of Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000, it is also possible for the courts to disqualify a person from holding a driving license if they abandon a vehicle

• If problems are ongoing in one place, the council can work with the land owner to help prevent problems continuing. This may involve improving the security of the land or using of CCTV to catch the perpetrator

These are just some of the measures available. Whatever action is taken, you should expect the council or the police to keep you informed.