01/2026
Reclaiming a Vehicle Removed by the Police
Opening Hours: The pound is open 7 days a week, 365 days a year, between 11.30 – 19:30 hours.
Important: There are no parking or toilet facilities at the pound. You must comply with the local authority parking restrictions in Bramshot Avenue.
Important – Making an Appointment to Collect your Vehicle:
You are strongly advised to make an appointment by calling 0208 124 6288.
When you arrive at the car pound:
• Do not join the main queue.
• Report to the security hut besides the main gate.
• Make yourself known to security and give your vehicle registration number.
• The pound staff will attempt to fast track the restoration of your vehicle.
To reclaim your vehicle, or remove property from it, you must attend the above car pound and produce:
- Proof of Identity:
We will accept the following forms of identification: Passport, driving licence, EU national identity card, Immigration document (card), Freedom Pass, Citizencard, Digital Tacho Card, Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) card and a recognisable and verifiable government agency identification card, such as identification cards provided to members of the armed forces and veterans.
We won’t accept the following as a valid form of ID: Student cards, identity cards issued by an employer, cash and carry cards, club membership cards or debit or credit cards.
If you cannot produce any photo ID, please bring two original utility bills or official letters, less than three months old.
- Proof of Ownership of the Vehicle:
• The full and current vehicle registration logbook (V5C) in your name, showing you as the registered keeper, together with proof of address to match the registered address; or
• An unaltered and ‘in date’ new keeper supplement (V5C/2) together with a verifiable bill of sale and proof of name and address to match the bill of sale; or
• A verification email from DVLA’s online system confirming a change to the registered keeper. Where this email confirmation and/or change to the registered keeper cannot be reasonably attributed to the claimant, further verification, as detailed above, may be requested.
Property in Vehicles: If the vehicle is badly damaged for health and safety reasons it may not be possible to enter the vehicle to remove property. You should arrange removal to another site.
Where feasible and safe, prohibited items and those which are easily identified as being of high value will be removed from the vehicle and booked into our property store. Where high value items are removed the Registered Keeper, Owner and driver, where known, will receive a separate letter notifying them that this has occurred. Dangerous items are also removed from vehicles and disposed of. All other items of property will remain in the vehicle.
If when collecting the vehicle there is anything left inside the vehicle that doesn’t belong to you please notify a member of staff. If you have already left the pound and find property not belonging to you please notify the officer responsible for investigating your crime, or responsible for the vehicle seizure, at the earliest opportunity. You will not be able to return this property to the car pound. Where a vehicle is recovered by an insurance or finance company any property left in the vehicle will not be removed. In such a situation you may need to speak with the insurance or finance company directly to recover this property.
Payment of Charges: (See notice letter for further details – or below)
The vehicle will not be released until any removal and storage charges are paid.
• These are statutory charges which are set by the Home Office. (See below for further information).
• Payment is accepted by cash or credit/debit card only (NOT American Express).
• The cardholder must be present. We cannot accept card payments by telephone.
Other Requirements (Not applicable if the vehicle is being recovered): To ensure that no offences are being committed, before you drive your vehicle from the pound, we must ensure compliance with the relevant legislation. Please bring the following documents:
- A Valid Driving Licence
Photocard and CBT (if applicable). EU driving licence holders must also produce a passport or identity card.
Non-EU licence holders must bring a passport or other evidence of immigration status, to confirm the date they became resident in the UK. We may also require an International Drivers Permit or a translation of your licence.
Provisional driving licence holders
If you’re driving under a provisional licence you must bring someone who:
• Is 21 or over; and
• Is qualified to drive the type of vehicle you are driving – for example, they must have a manual car licence if they are supervising someone in a manual car; and
• Have a full driving licence for at least 3 years (from the UK, the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein); and
• Is not currently banned from driving.
Make sure you have L plates on the vehicle or bring a set with you to collect the vehicle.
- A Valid Certificate of Insurance
You must produce a valid certificate of motor insurance that permits the release of a vehicle impounded by a government authority before your vehicle can be driven from the car pound. We’ll accept:
• A physical copy of the document.
• Electronic copies of the certificate on your mobile device – you’ll be required to send us a copy by email.
• Copies sent by email, if they’ve come directly from your insurer.
We won’t accept public liability insurance or vehicles listed on home insurance policies.
- An MOT Pass Certificate
If your vehicle does not have a current MOT test pass, it can only be driven to an MOT testing station. Please bring evidence of a pre-booked MOT test appointment or else arrange recovery. - Registration and Vehicle Excise Duty
If your vehicle is not correctly registered or taxed, additional requirements may be set or recovery may be required.
Un-roadworthy Vehicles: If the vehicle is deemed unsafe or has been issued with a prohibition notice, you will be required to arrange the recovery of the vehicle at your expense, or additional conditions may be set. We do not allow any repairs whatsoever to be carried out on site. This includes wheel changes, windscreen repairs and jump starting by claimants or recovery operators. Where possible, the pound staff will try to help you with jump starting using the pound jump pack. You will have to sign a jump starting indemnification form.
Disposal Charge for an Uncollected Vehicle: For some categories of vehicle, the owner must pay a statutory disposal charge if the vehicle is not reclaimed. If this applies to your vehicle it will be clearly indicated on the notice letter. You should attend the pound in person to pay the charges or send a cheque payable to “MOPAC”. The disposal charges are:
• Motorcycle or scooter – £64.
• Car or light van – £96.
• Larger vehicles have a range of higher charges.
Collection by a Nominated Third Party: The owner or registered keeper of the vehicle may nominate a third party to collect it on their behalf. The nominated third party, if attending separately, will need to bring a letter of authority and verifiable proof of signature from the owner or registered keeper. The impounded vehicle must be insured to comply with the law. If the third party intends to drive the vehicle, they should bring evidence of a valid insurance policy and their driving licence.
In addition to the above, if a recovery operator is collecting your vehicle, they must produce their own motor insurance and driving licence. Only professional recovery operators are permitted on site. They must wear a high visibility vest, steel toecap footwear and comply with the site policies for the loading and unloading of vehicles (See: https://www.met.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/vr/vehicle-recovery/ for more details).
Complaints: If you wish to complain about the removal of a vehicle, submit your complaint in writing to:
Metropolitan Police Service
VRES
PO Box 65484
London
SE7 9BY
Alternatively, you can email to: VRESComplaints@met.police.uk
If you attend the Car Pound and advise staff that you are unable to submit your complaint in writing, staff will record the relevant details and refer it to the VRES Complaints Team for you.
All other correspondence should be sent to the relevant police pound.
Other methods of making a complaint include by phone via 101, by textphone via 18001 101 and visiting a police station. Further details are also located here: https://www.met.police.uk/fo/feedback/complaints/complaints/complain-about-the-police/
If you wish to dispute an offence, please see the instructions on the reverse of the penalty notice. Please note that the procedure for disputing the ticket is separate from that for disputing the removal of the vehicle.
If your complaint is about the conduct of the Police Officer or member of Police Staff who dealt with you, further information on how to make a complaint can be found at your local police station, https://www.met.police.uk or https://www.policeconduct.gov.uk.
Complaints in this regard can only be about the conduct of the Officer or member of Police Staff and not about the power of removal itself, where lawfully used.
Getting to Charlton Car Pound:
Nearest Underground Station: North Greenwich on the Jubilee Line.
Nearest Mainline Station: Westcombe Park and Charlton
Nearest Bus Route: 53, 54, 108, 202, 286, 380, 386, 422
By Road: leave the A102 at the Woolwich Road exit.
For the location of the pound, recovery operator instructions and more information about how to reclaim a vehicle, see the Metropolitan Police website at: https://www.met.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/vr/vehicle-recovery/
Criminal offences: The Pound Staff are not involved in the investigation of offences and cannot provide any updates. The staff can provide you with contact details for the Officer in the Case at request.
Removal Charges
| Vehicle position and condition | Vehicle Equal to or less than 3.5 tonnes MAM | Vehicle exceeding 3.5 tonnes MAM but equal to or less than 7.5 tonnes | Vehicle exceeding 7.5 tonnes MAM but equal to or less than 18 MAM | Vehicle exceeding 18 tonnes MAM |
| Vehicle on road, upright and not substantially damaged or any two wheeled vehicle whatever its condition or position on or off the road | £192 | £256 | £448 | £448 |
| Vehicle, excluding a two wheeled vehicle, on road but either not upright or substantially damaged or both | £320 | £832 | Unladen – £2561 | Unladen – £3842 |
| Laden – £3842 | Laden – £5763 | |||
| Vehicle, excluding a two wheeled vehicle, off road, upright and not substantially damaged | £256 | £512 | Unladen – £1281 | Unladen – £1921 |
| Laden – £1921 | Laden – £2561 | |||
| Vehicle, excluding a two wheeled vehicle, off road but either not upright or substantially damaged or both | £384 | £1089 | Unladen – £3842 | Unladen – £5763 |
| Laden – £5763 | Laden – £7684 | |||
| MAM – Maximum Authorised Mass Warning: Removal charges vary according to the location, position and condition of the vehicle. Pound staff can advise on the charges payable. | ||||
Storage Charges per Day:
| Two wheeled vehicle | Vehicle, not including a two wheeled vehicle, equal to or less than 3.4 tonnes MAM | Vehicle exceeding 3.5 tonnes MAM but equal to or less than 7.5 tonnes MAM | Vehicle exceeding 7.5 tonnes MAM but equal to or less than 18 MAM | Vehicle exceeding 18 tonnes MAM |
| £13 | £26 | £32 | £38 | £45 |
Details of how the Met processes personal data relating to members of the public can be found in our Privacy Notice. This can be viewed by visiting the following Met web address: www.met.police.uk/hyg/fpnm/privacy.