Why are they a problem?
Abandoned cars obstruct roads and pavements - and they look unattractive. They may also be dangerous as they can encourage vandalism or arson. The fire brigade has to go to hundreds of deliberate car fires in Leeds every year. Police research shows that abandoned vehicles are also linked to other criminal activity. About 3000 vehicles are removed from the streets of Leeds every year and this costs hundreds of thousands of pounds.
What we do
We deal with abandoned and untaxed vehicles. We work closely with West Yorkshire Police and the government's Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) to find out if a vehicle has been abandoned. If we can't find the owner, our contractor will remove the vehicle as quickly as possible. The car or van will be destroyed but most of the parts are recycled.
When to contact us
If you see a potentially abandoned vehicle, you can ring the contact centre Monday to Friday between 8am - 6pm. Please be aware that Monday morning is the busiest time at the call centre. You can also report abandoned vehicles to the police or use the online reporting form.
When reporting a vehicle please try to provide any or all of the following information:
- Vehicle, make, model and colour
- Vehicle registration number (also visible on the tax disc)
- Condition of the vehicle (detailing any vandalism)
- Expiry date on the tax disc, if there is one
- Location of the vehicle and whether its causing any kind of obstruction
- How long the vehicle has been abandoned
- Any other information, e.g. who was the last person you saw in the vehicle or has a vehicle that you and your neighbours have never seen before suddenly appeared in your road and no-one is claiming ownership?
We need to ask for contact information about you as the reporter of the abandoned vehicle because we are no longer legally allowed to access personal data about a vehicle keeper from anonymous sources. We may need to contact you to check this information. We will only use your contact information to confirm you are indeed the person reporting the vehicle and also if we think that you can give us further information to help us remove the reported vehicle. Your information will only be used by staff operating the abandoned vehicle contract and it will not be given to anyone else. Unfortunately if you do not leave contact details we will not be able to follow up your abandoned vehicle report.
Unwanted cars removed for free
We work with ROTA to stop unwanted vehicles being abandoned. If you live in Leeds and have an unwanted vehicle you can have it removed free of charge. Ring ROTA on 0113 234 6462 and they will arrange for your unwanted vehicle to be taken away. It must have wheels and be able to be winched onto a truck.