Abandoned vehicles

How to report an abandoned vehicle

Thousands of vehicles are reported each year but many of them are not abandoned.

We can remove a vehicle if it

• Is abandoned on a public road or council housing estate
• Does not have valid road tax disc
• Has not been moved recently
• A vehicle that looks abandoned appears neglected and might have things growing underneath it. It will be dirty, have a dirty windscreen and its tyres might be deflated

Vehicles on a housing estate

If you want to report a vehicle on a council housing estate, please contact your area housing office.

Vehicles on a public road

If you want to report an abandoned vehicle on a public road, contact Southwark Council sustainability service or fill out an online abandoned vehicle report form.

Stolen vehicles

If you think the vehicle is stolen, please contact the local police station.

Illegally parked vehicle

If you think the vehicle is illegally parked please contact the Southwark Council parking shop.

What happens when an abandoned vehicle is reported

We aim to inspect the vehicle within 24 hours of receiving the report.

If we think the vehicle is abandoned it will be authorised for immediate removal upon inspection. Depending on the condition of the vehicle a 24-hour yellow notice will be affixed to the vehicle asking for the owner to claim it by contacting the council. If the vehicle has not been claimed or moved, we will remove it within 72 hours of the original report. We also aim to remove dangerous or burnt cars as soon as possible.