Abandoned vehicles have cost the council £32,000 in the last year, figures show, as the local authority sets out a new policy to tackle the problem. Picture: Highland CouncilReports of abandoned and suspected abandoned vehicles across the Highlands have increased “substantially” according to a recent council report - rising from 936 in 2023/24 to 1738 in 2025/26. The cost of having to remove the reported vehicles has skyrocketed as a consequence, going from £4885 in 2021/22 to £32,000 last year. Data provided along with the proposed policy shows that of the 1738 reports of abandoned or suspected abandoned vehicles in 2025/26, the majority were found to be in fact “not abandoned” while 400 were removed following “intervention”. Enforcement action was carried out on 166 of the reported vehicles, 148 were “self resolved” and 111 are currently still under investigation or are being monitored.