Abandoned bikes

Please call us on 01353 665555 to report an abandoned bike. Alternatively, you can email us on contactus@eastcambs.gov.uk 

We are responsible for removing bikes from public areas if they are classed as abandoned.

A bicycle may be classed as abandoned if it meets one or more of the following criteria:

• it is secured to a council cycle rack and considered unroadworthy
• it is assessed as unroadworthy
• it is in a dangerous position, for example, blocking the public highway
• it has not moved for several weeks

A bike is considered unroadworthy if it has one or more of the following:

• flat front or rear tyres
• missing wheel(s)
• missing seat
• buckled front or rear wheels
• bent forks
• seized or damaged brakes
• rusted chain or gears
• missing chain 

Action taken when a bike is abandoned

We will secure a notice to the bike. This warns that if the bike is not removed within 14 days it will be removed by the council.

If there is anything about the bike that identifies the owner, we will attempt to contact them and advise them their bike is to be removed.

Once a bike has been removed, we will store it for further 14 days, after which it will be recycled as scrap metal or used in a recycling scheme.

How to reclaim a bike that has been removed

Call or email us if you think your bike has been removed by the council. We will ask you to prove the bike is yours by providing a description, for example, make, colour and model, and the location of where it was left.

If you cannot provide this information, the bike will not be released.