“To ask the Manager to state what can be done in relation to cars which are abandoned for months in residential areas?”  

 

 

“The removal of abandoned vehicles is dealt with under Section 71 of the Waste Management Act 1996.   The Environment Dept and Litter Wardens have no powers to deal with vehicles which are on public roads and which are not taxed or insured - this issue comes under the Road Traffic Act 1961 / 2004 and is a matter for An Garda Síochána to enforce.

 

Section 71 of the WMA 1996 makes it an offence to abandon a vehicle and empowers a local authority to remove it to storage. The period of storage before destruction can take place, if ownership details are known is two weeks and if no ownership is known it extends to four weeks. The cost of storage is intended to be recoverable from the owner. Storage of a vehicle for up to 4 weeks could add a cost of approx. €700 per vehicle to the Council’s costs with, in reality, very little chance of recovery.

 

The Litter Management Unit can be contacted at any time in relation to allegedly abandoned vehicles on 8906799. Our Litter Wardens spend a considerable amount of time checking ownership details, contacting owners and using notices affixed to vehicles advising owners that the vehicle is to be removed in an attempt to have the owner remove the vehicle. To avoid a possible claim for compensation the Council must be satisfied that a vehicle is abandoned before it is removed and likely destroyed.”