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Abandoned, Untaxed and Unwanted Vehicles
| Service Deliverer: |
Havant Borough Council |
| Contact: |
Please call at Reception in the Civic Offices Foyer. Enquiries
may be made Monday to Friday 9 am to 5 pm. |
| Telephone No: |
023 9244 6013 |
| Address: |
Havant Borough Council, Civic Offices, Civic Centre Road,
Havant, PO9 2AX |
| Email: |
customer.services@havant.gov.uk |
| Details: |
Any vehicle abandoned on the highway may be towed away by the
Council (normally 7 days after the attachment of a Notice) and
disposed of unless the owner claims it and pays the Statutory
recovery fee of £105, plus Statutory storage fees of £12 per day,
within 28 days.
|
Questions answered:
What are my rights when parking/storing an
unwanted vehicle on the road?
Public streets are for the passage
of people and traffic and no one has a right to park on any
specific part of the highway. You have no right to park your car
(or any other possession including trailers, caravans or boats) on
the road outside your front door and the Council is under no
obligation to provide you with a space.
Technically, parking is an
obstruction of the highway unless the Council makes provision for
parking by introducing parking bays. Conditions may be applied to
the parking bays, e.g. time limit, payment, permit holders only,
goods vehicles only, etc.
The Council cannot reserve the
area outside specific properties for the owners of the property.
This would give private rights over what is a public asset and
would be unfair in respect of those properties where adjacent
parking places cannot be provided.
Acting under various Acts of
Parliament, Councils are able to take action where vehicles have
been left on the road. These are considered further in the
paragraphs that follow.
Will the Council take action if the vehicle
is untaxed?
It is an offence to leave a vehicle
on the public highway, which is not displaying a valid tax disk.
This offence is the responsibility of the Driver Vehicle Licensing
Agency (DVLA), and you can report unlicenced vehicles on their
website
using
an online form >>.
The Council will not act on a report that a vehicle is
'untaxed' in this way; we will only act if the vehicle is
'abandoned' as explained in the next paragraph.
What is the Council's policy on abandoned
vehicles, and how can i report one?
The Council can impound vehicles
that are left (abandoned) on the highway. In applying these powers
the Council's officers always try to act reasonably.
If a car or other vehicle has not
moved for several weeks and is reported to the Council as being
abandoned (either
by using our online form, or by calling Customer
Services on
023 9244 6019) then the Council may
impound the vehicle immediately, attach a notice giving the
owner 24 hours to remove the vehicle or write to the last
registered keeper giving them 7 days (depending on the location and
the vehicle's condition) to remove the vehicle, otherwise it will
be impounded and disposed of immediately.
Vehicles deemed to be abandoned on private land are
subject to a 15 day notice prior to removal.
Statistics show that all vehicles that are parked on the highway
for long periods are likely to suffer from vandalism. Caravans are
often the subject of arson attacks and can present a serious hazard
if they contain gas cylinders.
Burnt-out vehicles will be
removed either by The Council or the Police to an authorised
storage facility to await collection by the owner or their
insurance company, or to be scrapped if not claimed. There
are statutory fees payable in respect of impounded vehicles, which
are currently:
- £105 impound fee
- £12 per day for storage
Vehicles not claimed at the end of a
notice period will be seized, 'depolluted' and scrapped, with
no right of appeal by an alleged owner who subsequently tries to
reclaim the vehicle.
If you own a caravan then our advice
is that you should arrange storage on a reputable site in the
vicinity - they are listed in
Yellow Pages under 'caravan
storage'.
Boats should be stored at a local Sailing Club.
What should I do with my unwanted
vehicle?
If you no longer need your vehicle
then the Council will collect and dispose of the vehicle for a
charge of
£25. Cheques payable to Havant Borough
Council. Contact
Customer Services on
(023) 9244 6019 to
arrange to use this service - they will advise you what
documentation you have to supply.
I think that there should be parking
restrictions on my road - who should I contact?
Legal Orders ('Traffic Regulation
Orders') which create yellow lines are made by the Borough Council,
and if you think there is a need for parking restrictions in your
road then contact the Traffic team on
(023) 9244
6435 who will discuss your idea with you.
For more
information about "yellow lines" please follow this link
>>.