Hackney to crack down on abandoned vehicles with policy tune-up

The Town Hall has pledged to get rid of abandoned vehicles more quickly with the introduction of a new policy, after accepting that an informal approach in recent years has “at times fallen short of residents’ expectations”.

The lack of a written policy has seen the council take a minimum of four weeks to remove and dispose of dumped cars, which the Town Hall accepts can pose a danger to the public and the environment.

Under a new policy set to be introduced next week, inspections and investigations will be carried out within five working days, with any abandoned vehicle appearing to be worth less than £1,000 to be issued a destruction notice within one working day. Vehicles that appear to be worth more will be placed in storage and disposed of after 28 days if the owner cannot be found.

Transport chief Cllr Jon Burke said: “Abandoned, untaxed and vehicles parked in contravention have a negative impact on the environment, are a nuisance and can be dangerous to the environment, as well as posing health and safety risks to other drivers and the general public. They can also be the result of, or lead to crime.

“They often take up valuable parking spaces and can become dangerous when vandalised or filled with hazardous waste. In such instances, there is also a potential risk of explosion and/or injury.

“They can leak dangerous fluids which can catch fire or run into the water stream and can be burnt out which can endanger lives, property and the environment.”

Local authorities have a statutory duty to remove abandoned vehicles from open air land, but to date there has been no set policy in Hackney for the Town Hall to take a “unified approach” to the issue, according to officers.

The council’s aim in bringing one forward is to make the borough’s streets “look less neglected”, as well as being less likely to attract antisocial behaviour and crime.

The new policy is to work in parallel with one on untaxed vehicles and parking removals, with the Town Hall currently working with powers devolved from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) to deal with the former.

Untaxed cars are often reported abandoned, but are not necessarily, with those that remain untaxed long-term tending to be uninsured and without an MOT.

A council report adds: “If such vehicles are then involved in criminal activity they can prove difficult to trace as there is no obvious audit trail for them. Once their useful life has expired it is likely that they will be abandoned.”

A number of factors will be used to determine if a vehicle is abandoned, including if it has been left stationary for over 21 days, if it is run down or significantly damaged, burnt out, lacking a licence plate, or contains waste materials.

Any owner will be able to dispute a council decision to remove their vehicle as abandoned, though the appeal will have to be presented in writing “immediately” after the removal take place.

The policy also contains a free vehicle amnesty scheme, with the council offering a removal and disposal service if a person has a vehicle in Hackney no longer being used that they would like disposing of.

In cases of parking contravention, the Town Hall is understood to currently remove only a very small fraction of vehicles due to the closure of the council’s car pound in Hackney three years ago, with a reduced removals service running to a temporary car pound in Edmonton.

Relocating vehicles in these circumstances to other parking spaces are done at the council’s cost and is not considered “sustainable,” according to officers, with vehicles causing obstructions currently being shifted into other parking spaces.

In introducing new policies for abandoned and untaxed vehicles, the Town Hall is expecting a “substantial increase” in removal volumes, with a parking removals policy now drafted in September as a result.

Those parked in a variety of different spaces, including in a restricted street during prescribed hours, on a yellow line in a loading gap, or more than half a metre from the edge of the carriageway can expect their cars to be instantly removed under the policy, with those parked in an electric vehicle charging point during restricted hours without charging having an hour from the imposition of a ticket.

You can find more information on the new policies here