More than 1,000 abandoned vehicles, including high-end sports cars, have been cleared from streets and housing estates in a borough-wide crackdown by Ealing Council.

The operation, which began in September 2025, saw 1,000 vehicles towed away in its first 7 months.

Most of the these were lifted from public roads, with around 125 removed from council housing estates and 2 from private land. In previous years, the council typically removed up to 400 abandoned vehicles across an entire year, highlighting the scale of the current operation.

The vehicles that have been seized include a Maserati, Rolls Royce, Jaguar and several Audis. And, items including a machete and Class A drugs were even found in another car.

Work is ongoing, with teams continuing to remove abandoned and untaxed vehicles from the borough.

‘Work will continue’

Enforcement officers are continuing to visit housing estates across the borough to identify and remove the problem vehicles, and respond to reports from residents made through the council’s website.

The council’s towing contractor also keeps a close watch at prime locations for abandoned cars. Once identified as abandoned or untaxed, the vehicles are usually removed immediately.

Councillor Dominic Moffitt, the council’s cabinet member for climate action, said: “Abandoned vehicles can attract anti-social behaviour, take up valuable parking space and cause real frustration for residents. Removing more than 1,000 vehicles in just a few months shows how seriously we are taking this issue.

“This work will continue across the borough, both on our housing estates and on public roads, and we encourage residents to keep reporting abandoned vehicles so we can take action.”

Is it abandoned?

Vehicles must have valid tax, MOT, insurance, and be in good working order to be parked on the road or in a housing estate. The owner also needs to pay any penalty charge notices (PCNs) issued to the vehicle. If the car has a backlog of unpaid PCNs, it can be considered abandoned.

The owner must pay a fee if they want to collect their towed vehicle. Unclaimed vehicles are sold at auction or scrapped.

Commercial garages are not allowed to operate on housing estates – and cars that are declared off-road (statutory off-road notice vehicles) are not allowed to be parked there either.

If you suspect a vehicle is abandoned, you can report it  on the council’s website or on the Love Clean Streets App.