Buckinghamshire Council begins removing illegally parked vehicles from public roads

Buckinghamshire Council has begun removing illegally parked vehicles from public roads.

Following the introduction of a new vehicle removal policy, Buckinghamshire Council has begun to lift and impound illegally parked vehicles and / or persistent evaders with five or more outstanding Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs).

The action is aimed at making Bucks roads safer by removing highway obstructions and enabling optimum traffic flow.

Vehicles removed will be taken and held in a secure vehicle storage facility. To retrieve their vehicle, customers will need to prove their identity, vehicle ownership and evidence of where they live. Charges will apply. If no one comes forward, the vehicle will either be auctioned – if in roadworthy condition – or disposed of.

Steven Broadbent, Cabinet Member for Transport at Buckinghamshire Council, said: ‘Our new vehicle removal policy enables us to quickly deal with illegally parked vehicles.

Vehicles of this type often cause an obstruction or nuisance, including blocking on-street resident permit parking areas. They can also be unsightly and have a negative impact on the environment. In the worst cases, these vehicles may even be used for crime-related activities such as drug dealing and burglary.

Our new policy favours residents who do the right thing and punishes those who try to cheat the system.‘

Anyone who thinks a vehicle has been abandoned, is advised to report it to Buckinghamshire Council by using the Council website at www.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/waste-and-recycling/street-cleaning/report-abandoned-vehicle.

Where there are no parking restrictions in place and a vehicle is blocking a pavement, it is a matter for Thames Valley Police.

Circumstances where vehicles will be removed include:

• Persistent evaders – where there are five or more recorded parking contraventions for the vehicle and for which the penalties have not been paid.
• Where vehicles are parked in a signed suspended area that stop or delay planned works by or on behalf of the council.

Thames Valley Police will be notified of all vehicles that have been lifted and impounded.

Further details of the vehicle removal policy can be found on the Buckinghamshire Council website at www.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/news/new-vehicle-removal-policy-approved.

*Source of article : Press release from Buckinghamshire Council.