Highland Council warns of rising costs dealing with abandoned cars
Getty ImagesHighland Council spent £32,000 dealing with abandoned vehicles last year, according to the local authority's figures.
Costs have been rising since 2021-22 when the council spent £4,885 on removing, storing and tracing the owners dumped cars and vans.
Councillors have been asked to approve plans to create a compound for storing abandoned vehicles until they are disposed of, and for the local authority to work more closely with vehicle licensing agency, the DVLA, and Police Scotland.
Officials have also suggested new enforcement measures could be introduced in the future.
Under the Refuse Disposal Amenity (Scotland) Act 1978 dumping a vehicle is an offence carrying a fine of up to £2,500, three months in prison or both.
Local authorities have the power to claim back the costs for removing, storing and disposing of a vehicle from the person who abandoned it.
Officials said Highland Council had been able to recover £10,835 of the £32,000 so far.
In May, Highland Council officials warned that the number of vehicles being abandoned in the area rose by more than 30% last year.
The local authority's environmental health service told councillors there were 1,738 reports in 2025-26, and 1,291 the previous year.
SNP Inverness Central councillor Kate MacLean claimed at the time that an abandoned car in the city's Kessock Road was a problem for buses travelling up and down the street.
"It's a hazard, never mind an eyesore," she said.
