Lost or stolen vehicles

Here you'll find details on how the police deal with the lost or stolen vehicles we find.

Please read carefully and then go to this page to find out how to collect your vehicle.

If we find a vehicle that's been reported lost or stolen we move it to a police pound for safekeeping. 

We treat all lost or stolen vehicles we find as abandoned vehicles and remove them to:

• protect the vehicle from damage or arson
• prevent the vehicle from being stolen again
• prevent the vehicle from being used in a crime or anti-social behaviour
• make sure it isn’t an obstruction or danger to other road users

If your vehicle was stolen we strongly recommend that you take it to a garage for an inspection before you drive it yourself. It may have been damaged while it was being driven by the thief.

Statutory charges

The owner, or their agent, is liable for the statutory removal and storage charges, however, we won't charge for storage for any time that the vehicle is left with us for forensic examination.

We won't release the vehicle until the charges have been paid.

We'll dispose of the vehicle after seven working days, if it hasn't been collected.

The statutory charges are set by the Home Office in The Removal, Storage and Disposal of Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Regulations 2023.

For vehicles seized before 6 April 2023 you'll have to pay the charges listed in The Removal, Storage and Disposal of Vehicles (Prescribed Sums and Charges) Regulations 2008.

The charges vary according to the type, size, position and condition of the vehicle. Storage charges start at midday on the day after the vehicle was removed.

The purpose of the charges is to cover our costs when we remove the vehicle to a place of safety.

In most cases the vehicle insurer will pay the charge, depending on the level of cover and the specific circumstances. We can't give you any advice on this.

How to collect your vehicle

We'll send a notice letter to the registered keeper and/or owner of the vehicle, giving instructions on how to arrange collection. For further information go to our page on impounded vehicles.

We strongly recommend that you call the recovery operator (the phone number's on the notice letter) and make an appointment to collect the vehicle. This may prevent a wasted journey and reduce your waiting time.

Insurance claims

If you've made an insurance claim for a stolen vehicle, you must speak to your insurer before arranging collection. The insurance company may have a claim to the vehicle and want to pay the charges and collect it themselves.

Keys

If a key to your vehicle is missing you should change the locks or recode new keys. You may have difficulty with an insurance claim if you don’t do this and your vehicle is stolen again.

Safety check

We can't guarantee how safe your vehicle will be to drive, so we recommend that you get a garage to carry out a comprehensive safety check on it before you drive it.