Seized vehicles
Here, you can find out how to reclaim a vehicle that has been seized under Section 165A of the Road Traffic Act 1988. This means an officer had reasonable grounds to believe that the driver was uninsured or was not driving in accordance with their driving licence.
Your vehicle can also be seized if it's being driven on a public road or place and:
- it hasn't been taxed for two months and one day or longer
- it's registered as SORN (Statutory Off Road Notification)
If your vehicle has been seized for any of these reasons the driver should have received a seizure notice.
If your vehicle has been impounded for another reason, go to our impounded vehicles page.
How to reclaim your vehicle
You must go to one of our designated police stations within seven working days of the seizure and take with you the documents listed in the seizure notice.
You'll pay the recovery operator for the cost of recovery and any storage charges when you collect your vehicle – you don't pay the police.
Our designated police stations are:
Birkenhead Police Station
Mortimer Street
Birkenhead
Wirral
CH41 5EU
(Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.)
View on map
To guarantee being seen try to attend before 1.30pm and be prepared to wait during busy periods.
Only attend this station if you're producing a motor trade or fleet policy, or if you're a Motability customer, non-EU licence holder or you want to reclaim a foreign registered vehicle.
Southport Police Station
Albert Road
Southport
Sefton
PR9 0LL
(Monday to Saturday, 8am to 10pm; Sunday 8am to 5pm)
View on map
St Anne Street Police Station
St Anne Street
Liverpool
L3 3HJ
(Monday to Saturday, 8am to 10pm; Sunday 8am to 5pm)
View on map
Merseyside Police
Ganworth Street
Speke
Liverpool
L24 2XQ
(Monday to Saturday, 8am to 10pm; closed all day Sunday)
View on map
Huyton Police Station
Lathom Road
Huyton
Knowsley
L36 9XU
(Monday to Saturday, 8am to 10pm; Sunday 8am to 5pm)
View on map
St Helens Police Station
College Street
St Helens
WA10 1TG
(Monday to Saturday, 8am to 10pm; Sunday 8am to 5pm)
View on map
Please don't phone. We can only deal with you in person.
Registered owners/keepers of the vehicle using a nominee to collect their vehicle must bring the nominee with them to the station.
Collecting your vehicle
Your designated police station will give you a release notice that will include the details of the recovery operator, where you can go to collect your vehicle.
Take the release notice and two forms of identification, one of which must be photographic and the other providing address details, to the recovery operator to collect your vehicle.
Recovery operators are open for the release of vehicles from Monday to Friday, 9am to 1pm (please don't arrive any later than 12.30pm), excluding public holidays, and Saturdays from 8am to 12pm, by appointment only.
Payment of charges
Payment should be made directly to the recovery operator when you collect your vehicle.
Statutory charges apply to most vehicles removed to a pound, depending upon the reason for removal.
You can find full details about the statutory charges you'll have to pay in the Road Traffic Act (Retention and disposal of seized vehicles) Regulations 2005 – amended 2008.
These charges are set by government, not the police, and vary depending on the weight and condition of the vehicle.
Please note, the daily storage charges start from midday the day after the vehicle was seized.
When police pay
We'll pay the recovery fee when we recover a vehicle for a police investigation.
When you pay
You’ll pay for the cost of the recovery and any storage charges when your vehicle has been:
- at risk of vandalism/arson
- reported as stolen to us and we recover it
- found causing an obstruction or a danger to the public
- involved in a collision
- seized under Section 165 Road Traffic Act without valid insurance and/or driving licence
- seized under Section 59 Police Reform Act when a motor vehicle is used carelessly, inconsiderately or 'off-road' in a manner that causes alarm, annoyance or distress