What To Do If Your Car Has Been Towed by the Police or local authority pound
Published in Police Pound Advice · Friday 21 Aug 2026 · 5 minutes
Tags: APCOA, Lambeth, Pound, NSL, Vehicle, Pound, Erith, Newham, Vehicle, Pound, Tower, Hamlets, Car, Pound, Haringey, Car, Pound, North, London, Car, Pound, Perivale, Police, Pound, Charlton, Police, Pound
Tags: APCOA, Lambeth, Pound, NSL, Vehicle, Pound, Erith, Newham, Vehicle, Pound, Tower, Hamlets, Car, Pound, Haringey, Car, Pound, North, London, Car, Pound, Perivale, Police, Pound, Charlton, Police, Pound
Step‑by‑step guidance for drivers whose vehicles have been seized or towed to a police or local authority pound in Greater London and the Home Counties.
To reclaim a vehicle, you must present payment and original versions of your driving licence, insurance, and proof of entitlement.
Anyone collecting the vehicle on your behalf must present payment as well as a letter of authority authorising them to collect on your behalf, driving licence, and proof of entitlement, and valid insurance that permits him or her to drive the vehicle.
Our insurance policy allows us to recover and transport third party vehicles on behalf of their owners from a police or local authority pound, except seized for no insurance.
It is a serious criminal offence to not declare relevant facts on your insurance and if found to be incorrect will result in you not being able to collect your vehicle.
Some short-term cover or temporary cover may not be a valid form of impound insurance, you will need to check when speaking with the operator and inform them you are needing a policy that will allow you to reclaim your vehicle.
If your vehicle:
- has been issued with a PG9 (Prohibition Notice) because it is not roadworthy, (if it cannot be driven, it must be removed on a recovery vehicle)
- has been taken off the road for not having a valid MOT or insurance
- has been impounded due to a crime involving it or taken by Police after an accident or collision
- has been taken for not having driving license Or for any reason we can collect your collect your vehicle for you.
Proof of ownership.
You will require your V5C logbook that clearly shows your name and address. In the event you have just bought the vehicle, you will require an unaltered new keeper supplement.
Proof of identity in the form of a valid photo ID.
This includes a passport, drivers licence, EU national identity card, immigration document or freedom pass. Student or employer ID’s are not acceptable forms of ID.
Driving licence.
This can include paper versions if accompanied by a passport, EU/EEA photo card, non-EU/EEA with an international driver permit accompanied with a passport or evidence of immigration status and date of UK arrival. If you have surrendered your licence to the police, you will need to bring proof of this along with another form of ID such as your passport
Insurance Certificate.
If your car was seized through no insurance, then you will require a seized car insurance policy which last for 30 days but will allow you to retrieve your vehicle. An electronic copy on your mobile phone is acceptable and it must declare all materialistic facts such as correct registered keeper details, address, date of birth, occupation. You will also be required to declare pending convictions for the seizure.
The process to get your vehicle released depends on whether the vehicle was:
Seized by the police or local pound authority (you will have been given a seizure notice).
Impounded, but not seized by the police.
Your vehicle may not be ready for collection for up to 8 hours after the time of seizure.
Section 4(4) (c) of The Regulations state that in order to secure the release of a vehicle seized under S165A RTA 1988, the registered keeper or owner of the vehicle must claim it from the Police compound on or before the specified date, which must be at least seven working day from the date of service of the seizure notice. Both the Form 3708 seizure notice, issued to the driver by the seizing officer, and any subsequent notice letter, issued by the Pound staff, state that the vehicle must be reclaimed within seven working days.
However, in accordance with Section 7(2) (a) of The Regulations, the police cannot dispose of a vehicle until at least fourteen 14 days have elapsed, starting from the date of seizure.
Vehicles impounded or seized under Section S165A Road Traffic Act 1988 (RTA) if a police officer has grounds to believe that a vehicle was driven in contravention of Sections 87 or 143 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 –
It’s a criminal offence to drive a vehicle on a public road without valid motor insurance or a valid driving licence.
Normally the owner or registered keeper of the impounded vehicle is required to attend the pound in person to reclaim their vehicle, in accordance with Regulation 5 of The Road Traffic Act 1988 (Retention and Disposal of Seized Motors Vehicle) Regulations 2005.
By attending the pound in person, the pound staff can meet their statutory duty to establish ownership, driving entitlement and the validity of any motor insurance policy.
This statutory requirement for the owner or registered keeper to attend in person can be waived if there is a valid reason why they cannot comply, for example, if they are:
- In custody.
- Out of the country ( a copy of flight tickets )
- In hospital.
- Unable to travel to the pound due to age, sickness, injury, immobility or disability.
- Unable to attend the pound due to other exceptional or compassionate circumstances, which will be considered on their merit.
Whether seized or not, for your vehicle to be released, you’ll need motor insurance that explicitly permits the release of a vehicle from a Police compound.
