Vehicles suspected of waste crime

To claim a vehicle you must be its legal owner.

To prove you are the legal owner, you must send us a copy of your:

• proof of vehicle ownership in your name with your correct address – for UK vehicles, this would be a copy of your V5 registration document
• current certificate of motor insurance, in your name with your correct address
• driving licence

Copies of documents may be emailed or sent by post.

We will confirm whether you are the owner within 3 working days.

If we decide not to investigate further or prosecute, we will let you know where you can collect your vehicle. You will then have 10 working days to collect it.

You must bring the original documents listed above when you come to collect the vehicle.

If we decide to investigate or prosecute

We can keep your vehicle in storage for up to 15 working days if we need to investigate an offence. We may keep it longer to continue an investigation, or if we decide to prosecute.

If our investigation shows that your vehicle was used for a waste crime, we will always consider prosecuting you.

We will keep your vehicle during the court process. If the court decides you have committed a waste crime, they may take away your vehicle permanently.