The local council will deal with any vehicles reported as abandoned on local roads or property (usually including private property). The vehicle will be removed if it is causing a public nuisance, is untaxed or if has not been removed by the owner a specified length of time after a notice of removal has been placed on the vehicle.

A FREE PHONE HOTLINE HAS BEEN SET UP TO MAKE IT EASIER FOR MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC TO REPORT SUSPECTED ABANDONED VEHICLES.
HOTLINE NUMBER: 0800 169 4466

The number of vehicles being abandoned throughout the UK has rapidly escalated in recent years. These vehicles are an eyesore and often targets for acts of vandalism and arson. Burnt out vehicles in particular pose a serious risk to public health and should be removed immediately.

The County Council and the six District Councils have been working in partnership with Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service, Northumbria Police and Government Office for the North East to address the impact these vehicles have on their services and the community. As a result of this the Abandoned Vehicle Action Information and Liaison (AVAIL) scheme has been established. Under the AVAIL scheme the County Council is now able to make use of Northumbria Police’s Vehicle Recovery staff and several specialist vehicle recovery operators to remove abandoned vehicles.

It is considered that these new arrangements will significantly improve the speed at which abandoned vehicles are identified and removed, thus reducing the risk of arson, vandalism and anti social behaviour, with the benefit of improving the quality of the environment for local communities.

In order to help speed up the removal of abandoned vehicles a free phone hot line number has been established. Any member of the public can use this to report abandoned vehicles.

If you see an abandoned vehicle please telephone the hotline number 0800 169 4466. You will be asked to provide details of the registration number, type and condition of the vehicle and its location. The more information you can provide the sooner it can be removed. We aim to remove at least 90% of abandoned vehicles within 24 hours of their being reported. Note that vehicles on private land may take longer as we need the permission of the land owner before removal.

(This Scheme is supported by Northumberland County Council, Castle Morpeth Borough Council, Alnwick District Council, Berwick Borough Council, Tynedale District Council, Blyth Valley Borough Council, Wansbeck District Council, orthumbria
Police, GONE, Northumberland Fire and RescueService)
SUPPORTING FORMS & RELATED DETAILS
A leaflet giving further information on the AVAIL Scheme can be obtained by selecting this link.

You can contact us to notify us of an abandoned vehicle at:

kam@berwick-upon-tweed.gov.uk

You can also fill in the our online form