New FOI Data Reveals The Abandoned Car Capitals of the UK

New data from multiple Freedom of Information requests submitted by Scrap Car Comparison has revealed the areas with the highest number of abandoned cars reported to their local councils.

Analysing a nationwide total of 53,794 abandoned car reports logged since the start of September 2022, the London Borough of Bromley takes the top spot as the ditched car capital of London and the UK, with 2,239 abandoned car sightings over the last year.

However, looking beyond the 29,500 plus reports logged collectively by London’s various councils, driven by the capital’s high population and number of registered cars, it’s Coventry that stands out as having the biggest abandoned car issue in the country outside of London, with 1,898 abandoned car sightings over the last year.

Which Areas Outside of London Get The Most Reports Of Abandoned Vehicles?

While Coventry ranks as receiving the most abandoned car reports outside of London, Brighton and Hove follows in second place by a hairpin, with only nine fewer abandoned cars recorded in the East Sussex city within the last year.

Meanwhile, the city of Leicester appears in third place, accounting for 1,765 abandoned vehicle reports, while the FOI data as highlights the north as a hub for forgotten vehicles, with Manchester, Sunderland, Bradford, and Cumberland councils all featuring high on the list. Each with over 800 abandoned vehicle reports to their respective councils since September 2022.

Scottish cities also appear as hotspots for discarded vehicles, with Edinburgh and Glasgow city councils receiving over 1,000 reports submitted to the council over the last year.

Rank

Local Council

Total no. of reports (Sep 22 – Sep 23)

Coventry

1,898

Brighton and Hove

1,889

Leicester

1,765

Manchester

1,664

Sunderland

1,477

Plymouth

1,451

Southampton

1,389

Edinburgh

1,087

Glasgow

1,043

Portsmouth

1,037

Oxford

1,032

Bradford

939

Cumberland

867

Kingston-upon-Hull

794

Norwich

755
Where Are Most Abandoned Cars Reported in Greater London?

In London, abandoned cars are a growing problem, with the collective total of the boroughs that responded to the FOIs totalling 29,570 abandoned vehicle report over the 12-month period, which averages out as more than two thousand reports every single month.

The London Borough of Bromley takes the top spot as the abandoned car capital of London as well as the UK, having recorded 2,239 abandoned vehicle sightings since the start of September 2022 within the Bromley area alone. The largest and southeasternmost of the London boroughs, with a population of over 334,000, there’s a high likelihood for cars to be ditched by previous owners or joyriders.

Other Boroughs that also see a high level of abandoned car reports include Enfield with 1,998, Hillingdon with 1,914 and Ealing with 1,629.

Rank

London Borough

Total no. of reports (Sep 22 – Sep 23)

London Borough of Bromley

2,239

London Borough of Enfield

1,998

London Borough of Hillingdon

1,914

London Borough of Ealing

1,629

London Borough of Sutton

1,570

London Borough of Lewisham

1,536

London Borough of Merton

1,530

London Borough of Havering

1,476

London Borough of Barnet

1,439

London Borough of Bexley

1,436
When is it most common to abandon a vehicle?

Interestingly, the results also reveal that January 2023 was the month that saw the greatest total number of abandoned vehicles in the year, with 3,666 vehicles reported as abandoned collectively across the nation. This could be down to a range of factors, such as an increase in opportunistic car theft and joyriding while people were out at festive celebrations, to people opting to desert a costly old motor as purse strings tighten in the winter months.

Is it a criminal offence to abandon a vehicle?

Under the Refuse Disposal (Amenity) Act 1978, it’s against the law to abandon a vehicle and not dispose of it properly through means such as scrapping. If caught, the owner or offender can be prosecuted by the local authority for abandoning a vehicle in public and landed with a £2,500 fine and the potential of a three-month prison sentence.