Current status: Answered by Kirsten Oswald on 16 June 2026
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to review the law regarding liability and responsibility for vehicles abandoned without permission on private property.
There are no plans to review the law on the liability and responsibility for vehicles abandoned without permission on private property.
Controls on abandoned and other vehicles are set out under the Refuse Disposal (Amenity) Act 1978. It is an offence to abandon a motor vehicle on any land without lawful authority and local authorities are required to remove abandoned vehicles in certain circumstances. Where a vehicle is abandoned on land which is occupied, the local authority must serve the occupier of the land with a 15 day notice, for which they have 15 days to object to the vehicle being taken away as prescribed by the Removal and Disposal of Vehicles Regulations 1986. Local Authorities also have the power to recover costs of removal, storage and disposal from the person responsible for abandoning the vehicle.
The police have powers to remove any vehicle that is in breach of local traffic regulations, causing an obstruction, likely to cause a danger, broken down or abandoned without lawful authority. Any car that is considered to be a dangerous wreck and where a notice has been issued, can be removed immediately.