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ABANDONED VEHICLES

Safer, Cleaner, Greener: Falmouth Town Council offers advice about abandoned vehicles. With the introduction of charges for the disposal of redundant vehicles and a fall in the value of scrap metal, there has been a significant increase in the number of vehicles being abandoned across the UK. This latest instalment of Falmouth Town Council’s year-long Safer, Cleaner, Greener public information campaign offers advice on what to do about abandoned cars and motorbikes that have a detrimental impact on the visual appeal of our beautiful town; present an environmental hazard and add to the already challenging issue of parking congestion on Falmouth’s streets. An abandoned vehicle is defined as one that appears not to be in regular use, having remained in the same location for at least three weeks. However, just because a vehicle is in poor condition and not in regular use does not necessarily mean that it has been abandoned so additional enquiries may have to be made to establish its status before it can be removed. What can you do if you suspect a car or motorbike has been abandoned? Cornwall Council is responsible for dealing with abandoned vehicles. The easiest and best way to report a suspected abandoned vehicle is to use its online reporting facility at www.cornwall.gov.uk/report-it. Alternatively, you can email Cornwall Council via cep@cornwall.gov.uk or ‘phone 0300 1234 100. If emailing or ‘phoning, you will need to provide the following information: • the location of the vehicle • its make, colour and registration number • its general condition • how long it has been there. What happens next? Once reported, a Cornwall Council officer will visit the site to investigate further. If the vehicle is deemed to be abandoned, Cornwall Council will either contact the last registered keeper of the vehicle or authorise its destruction. All costs associated with the removal, destruction or storage of an abandoned vehicle will be recovered from the last known keeper. In the event of non-payment, action will be taken against the last known keeper through the County Court.