Other Refuse and Recycling Topics

Under the Refuse Disposal (Amenity) Act 1978, Dartford Borough Council (on behalf of Kent County Council) has the authority to remove abandoned vehicles on land in the open air, public highway and private land in the borough of Dartford.

When do we consider a vehicle as potentially abandoned?

Further signs that a vehicle may be abandoned:

• there is a lot of damage to the vehicle - burnt out, broken windows, flat tyres or rusty
• the vehicle is untaxed and has no valid MOT  
• the number plates are missing
• it contains waste
• the doors are open or unlocked
• mould in the vehicle

When we are not responsible or unable to assist?

1. If a vehicle is untaxed or SORN and parked on a public road, you must report this to the DVLA . The DVLA are responsible for enforcing untaxed vehicles. They have the power to remove untaxed and SORN vehicles from the highway.
2. If a vehicle is causing an obstruction or parked in a dangerous position, then you must report this to the Police via 101.
3. You must not report parking problems as abandoned vehicles. If you wish to report a vehicle that may require parking enforcement action, please use our General Report Form 
4. We do not investigate vehicles parked in car parks that are underground, sheltered by a roof, in a garage, or protected with a car cover or tarpaulin.

Suspected abandoned vehicles on private land

Dartford Borough Council will investigate reports of suspected abandoned vehicles on private land, but they must be reported by the landowner OR the management company working on behalf of the landowners.

If you are a resident that lives on a private development, please report vehicles to your management company or housing trust. Please note that we will only investigate vehicles parked in a visitor’s bay and not privately numbered bays unless it has been reported by the bay owner.

How to report a suspected abandoned vehicle

To report a vehicle that has not moved for at least 28 days and may be showing other signs that it could be abandoned, please use our online form.

Report an Abandoned Vehicle Now 

If it meets our criteria, an officer will inspect the vehicle, and the investigation process will begin. Our investigations can take up to 12 weeks to establish whether the vehicle is abandoned and to arrange removal if appropriate.

View the progress report of suspected abandoned vehicles .

For further details of how we process your personal information and for details on your additional rights, please refer to our Corporate Privacy Notice and Abandoned Vehicles Reporting Removal Service