Scrap My Car in Romford and Across Havering
Free collection from every RM postcode in the borough, cars, vans and 4x4s, in any condition including non-runners. We handle our side of the paperwork and a Certificate of Destruction is issued, and we tell you exactly what you still have to send to the DVLA yourself.
- Free collection
- Any condition
- CoD issued
- DVLA notified
To scrap a car in Romford or anywhere in the London Borough of Havering, call CityGrip Recovery on 07960 200253 or send a WhatsApp to the same number with the registration, the postcode and a photo of where the car is standing. Collection is free across the RM postcodes, the vehicle is taken in any condition including non-runners, and vans and 4x4s are collected as well as cars. You get a fair price, quoted before collection, and payment is by bank transfer, because the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013 makes cash payment for scrap metal an offence in England and Wales. The vehicle goes to an Authorised Treatment Facility, a Certificate of Destruction is issued, and you tell the DVLA yourself that it has gone for scrap.
Why collection, not a drive-in, is the normal route in this borough
Havering's licensed vehicle recycling capacity is not where most residents assume it is. The Environment Agency's public register of end-of-life vehicle Authorised Treatment Facilities shows the borough's permitted sites clustered in the Rainham industrial belt in RM13, around Marsh Way, Ferry Lane, Salamons Way and New Road at Wennington, with single outliers at Harold Hill in RM3, Havering-atte-Bower in RM4 and Upminster in RM14. There is no permitted facility in Romford town centre, Hornchurch, Elm Park or Collier Row. So for most of this borough the car has to travel, and if it is untaxed, uninsured or will not start, you cannot lawfully drive it there yourself. That is the practical reason collection exists, and it is why the collection is free.
A vehicle must be scrapped at an Authorised Treatment Facility holding an environmental permit from the Environment Agency. Gov.uk states it plainly: it is illegal to scrap your vehicle anywhere else. An ATF is regulated on depollution under the End-of-Life Vehicles Regulations 2003, which means the fuel, oil, coolant, brake fluid, battery, airbags, catalytic converter and any air conditioning refrigerant are drained or removed and handled properly before anything is crushed or dismantled. Someone with a trailer and a cash offer is not a substitute for that. If the shell later turns up somewhere it should not be, the trail leads back to the name on the log book.
You can check any operator before you hand a vehicle over, and it costs nothing. The DVLA runs a postcode tool on gov.uk called Find a vehicle scrapyard, and the Environment Agency publishes its ELV Authorised Treatment Facility register online with permit numbers. Separately, scrap metal dealers have to be licensed by the local authority, which here is the London Borough of Havering. The council issues both site licences and collector's licences, and states that a collector's licence is only granted once photographic ID and proof of address have been seen and verified by its licensing team. Two public checks, and neither takes more than a few minutes.
The RM postcodes covered, and where Havering actually stops
We collect from the whole of the borough: RM1 for Romford town centre and Rise Park, RM2 for Gidea Park and Heath Park, RM3 for Harold Wood, Harold Hill, Harold Park and Noak Hill, RM4 for Havering-atte-Bower, Stapleford Abbotts and Navestock, RM5 for Collier Row, RM7 for Rush Green, Mawneys and western Romford, RM11 for Hornchurch, Emerson Park and Ardleigh Green, RM12 for Hornchurch and Elm Park, RM13 for Rainham, South Hornchurch, Wennington and Beam Park, and RM14 for Upminster, Cranham and North Ockendon. The post towns are Romford for RM1 to RM7, Hornchurch for RM11 and RM12, Rainham for RM13 and Upminster for RM14.
Two edges are worth naming because people get caught by them. RM6, covering Chadwell Heath, Marks Gate and Little Heath, is mostly not in Havering at all, sitting largely in Barking and Dagenham and Redbridge. And RM4 and RM14 straddle the Greater London boundary, running out into Epping Forest, Brentwood and Thurrock. That does not change anything for you, because we cover Essex and the Home Counties as well as every London postcode, but it does explain why a Rainham or Upminster address returns both London and Essex results when you search. If you are unsure which side of a line you are on, give us the postcode and we will tell you.
The Ultra Low Emission Zone is a genuine local reason people in Havering are scrapping older cars right now rather than sitting on them. Transport for London confirms the zone operates across all London boroughs, 24 hours a day, every day of the year except Christmas Day, at £12.50 a day for non-compliant cars, motorcycles, vans up to and including 3.5 tonnes and minibuses up to and including 5 tonnes, and that it does not include the M25. Havering is the easternmost London borough, so the charge boundary effectively runs along the borough line while streets a few minutes away in Brentwood or Thurrock sit outside it. A car that is only worth keeping for occasional local use stops making sense fast at that daily rate.
Your V5C, the yellow slip, and the one notification only you can make
Here is the split that matters. We arrange the collection, move the vehicle, and the Authorised Treatment Facility issues the Certificate of Destruction and sends its own electronic notification. What we cannot do for you is make the keeper's notification. Gov.uk is direct about the consequence: you can be fined £1,000 if you do not tell the DVLA. The ATF notification and your notification are two separate things, and the fine attaches to yours. You can do it online through the gov.uk service or by post, and it takes a couple of minutes with the log book in front of you.
On the day, hand the driver the V5C log book but tear off and keep the yellow section headed sell, transfer or part-exchange your vehicle to the motor trade. That yellow slip is your evidence of the date the vehicle left your hands, and it carries the reference you need to complete the online notification. Keep it with the Certificate of Destruction and the payment confirmation, and hold that small bundle rather than binning it once the car is gone. If a penalty charge notice or a tax query lands months later, that bundle is the answer.
No V5C is not a blocker. A replacement log book costs £25 from the DVLA and usually arrives within 5 to 7 working days, so if you are not in a rush that is the tidiest route. If the vehicle has already gone without one, gov.uk tells you to write to the DVLA at Swansea SA99 1BA giving your name and address, the registration number, the make and model, the exact date of sale and the name and address of the new keeper or motor trader. We can still collect a car with no log book, and we will give you the trader details in writing so that letter is straightforward to send.
Payment is by bank transfer, and that is legislation rather than company policy
Several scrap sites competing on these searches promise cash. They should not. Section 12 of the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013 makes it an offence for a scrap metal dealer in England or Wales to pay for scrap metal other than by an electronic transfer of funds or by a cheque that is not transferable under section 81A of the Bills of Exchange Act 1882. The dealer, the site manager and the individual who hands the money over can all be prosecuted, and the level 5 fine has had no upper limit since March 2015. Gov.uk says the same thing in plain English: it is illegal to be paid in cash if your vehicle is scrapped in England or Wales. So the price we agree is paid to your bank account.
The reason behind the rule is worth knowing, because it also explains the ID request. The cash ban was brought in to leave a traceable payment trail and shut down the anonymous market that drove metal theft, and it is paired in the same Act with a duty on the dealer to verify the supplier's full name and address from independent documents, and to keep records of the transaction. Section 11 makes it an offence for the dealer to receive scrap metal without doing that, and section 11(7) makes it a separate offence for the seller to give a false name or address. The check protects you as much as it protects the yard: it is the record that proves the car left your ownership on a particular day.
There is one narrow exception nobody explains. If the facility decides the vehicle is worth repairing and reselling rather than destroying, that is not a scrapping. No Certificate of Destruction is issued, and payment by any method including cash becomes lawful again. It is a different transaction with different consequences, so if that is ever suggested to you, understand that you will not receive a certificate and you should notify the DVLA of a sale to the motor trade rather than of a scrapping.
Do these before you book: private plate, outstanding finance, tax refund
If the car carries a private or personalised registration, start the retention now, before you book anything. Gov.uk could not be clearer: you must have your V778 and new log book before you scrap or sell the vehicle, otherwise you lose the right to use the private number. It costs £80, the vehicle must be registered with the DVLA in the UK, must be able to move under its own power, must be of a type that needs an MOT or HGV test, must be available for inspection, must be currently taxed or have a SORN in place, and must have been taxed or SORN continuously for the past 5 years. The postal route uses form V317 and the replacement V5C can take 4 to 6 weeks to arrive. Numbers starting with Q or QNI cannot be kept. This is the single most expensive mistake on this page, and it is entirely avoidable.
Outstanding finance stops a scrapping. Under a hire purchase or conditional sale agreement the finance company still owns the vehicle: the Consumer Credit Act 1974 defines hire purchase as goods bailed in return for periodical payments where ownership passes only once the terms of the agreement have been met. Until you have settled, the car is not yours to dispose of. Ask the lender for a settlement figure, ask whether voluntary termination applies to your agreement, and if the balance is higher than the vehicle is worth, sort that out with the lender before arranging collection rather than after.
The road tax refund is automatic once the DVLA has been told the vehicle was scrapped at a vehicle scrapyard, which is another reason to make that notification promptly. The refund covers full remaining months only, calculated from the date the DVLA receives the information, and the cheque goes to the name and address on the log book, so update your address first if it is out of date. It excludes any part month, credit card fees, the 5% surcharge on some direct debit payments and the 10% surcharge on a single six month payment. If nothing has arrived after 8 weeks, chase the DVLA.
Loading a car in Havering: driveways, permit bays and the bank holiday rule
On a driveway or private land the questions are physical rather than legal: the property owner's consent, the gate width, the state of the dropped kerb, gateposts, and whether there is a tree or a low porch over the run out. Havering's housing stock makes this very local. Elm Park and parts of Upminster are 1930s garden suburb streets with short, narrow front drives. Harold Hill is a post-war estate of long brick terraces with rear service roads and garage courts, built out between 1948 and 1958 for around 25,000 people. Rainham's southern industrial strip has wide, easy access. RM4 around Havering-atte-Bower and Noak Hill runs to single-track green belt lanes such as Broxhill Road. Tell us which of those you are dealing with and we bring the right approach.
On the street, Havering has two rules that catch people out. First, parking across a dropped kerb is a contravention the council will issue a penalty charge notice for, which matters when a truck is loading. Second, and unusually for a London borough, Havering states that all parking restrictions apply on bank holidays unless the signage says otherwise, including yellow lines, resident permit zones and pay and display, with Christmas Day the only exception. Many boroughs suspend restrictions on bank holidays. This one does not, so a bank holiday collection from a permit street needs the same planning as a Tuesday. Add the double and single red lines on the TfL roads through the borough, timed school street closures and enforced yellow box junctions, and it pays to say up front exactly where the car is standing.
Central Romford has its own shape. The Market Place and much of South Street and the High Street are pedestrianised and sit inside a conservation area, with the ring road formed by St Edwards Way, Mercury Gardens, Thurloe Gardens, Oldchurch Road and Waterloo Road. A car in that core cannot simply be winched from outside a front door, so access is arranged from the ring road side or from one of the council car parks such as Angel Way, Como Street, Slaney Road or Market Place. One live factor to check before you plan a northern Havering journey: the Gallows Corner flyover at the A12 and A127 junction went through a long replacement scheme and only partially reopened on Sunday 10 May 2026, with further works continuing, so check the current TfL position rather than assuming the junction is running normally.
Non-runners, missing keys and cars that have not moved for years
The car does not need to start, drive, steer or hold air. Seized engines, dead or missing batteries, flat and perished tyres, fire and flood damage, cars that have sat on the same patch of driveway since a failed MOT: all of it is collected. What changes is practical, not commercial. A non-runner is winched rather than driven on, which needs a longer clear run behind the vehicle, a bit of working room either side and sometimes a second pair of hands. Missing keys add a steering lock and often a seized handbrake to the same problem, so the vehicle is winched rather than rolled and the loading bay needs to be a little longer. None of it stops the job, it just needs to be known in advance so the right truck turns up.
No MOT and no tax are not obstacles either. Neither is needed to hand a vehicle over for scrap. What an expired tax disc does mean is that you cannot lawfully drive the car to a yard on a public road, and an untaxed vehicle parked on a Havering street can be clamped or removed by the DVLA whether or not you have already decided to scrap it. If the car is going to sit for a while before collection, declare a SORN and keep it off the public road. The one place condition genuinely matters in law is the private plate rule above, where the vehicle must be able to move under its own power for a retention to be granted.
Scrap it, sell it, break it, or let the council take it
Not every car should be scrapped, and it would be dishonest to pretend otherwise. If it runs, has a decent MOT and is worth more than its metal, sell it privately or trade it in. If specific parts have real resale value and you have the space, the time and somewhere legal to keep it, breaking it can return more than scrapping, but you must SORN it, keep it off the public road, remove parts in a way that does not let oil or fluids reach the ground or the drains, and the shell still has to go to an ATF at the end. A breaker's yard sells parts; a collection service buys the whole vehicle. If the car is a non-runner, has failed its MOT with a bill that outweighs it, or is non-compliant in a zone you drive in daily, scrapping is usually the sensible answer.
Havering Council will also remove an unwanted vehicle free of charge, and its own website says so. Most operators in this market do not mention that. The difference is what you get. The council will take the car away, but it will not pay you for it, it will not make your DVLA notification for you and it will not hand you a Certificate of Destruction. We pay a fair price, quoted before collection, and the vehicle goes to an Authorised Treatment Facility that issues the certificate. Which of those matters more is your decision, and you should make it knowing both options exist.
On price, we will not publish a figure and you should be sceptical of anyone in this borough who does. Scrap value moves with the ferrous metal market week by week, and the number for your specific car depends on its kerb weight and metal content, whether the catalytic converter and battery are still fitted, whether panels, wheels, an ECU or a sound engine carry salvage value beyond the weight, and the model itself. Anyone quoting a fixed borough-wide price before seeing a registration is guessing. Give us the reg and the honest condition and you get a real figure before anything moves. It is also worth knowing that free take-back is a legal right rather than a favour: regulation 38 of the End-of-Life Vehicles Regulations 2003 bars an ATF from charging the last owner simply because the vehicle has no market value, with the only exception being where essential parts such as the engine, transmission, coachwork, catalytic converter or wheels have been stripped out or waste has been added, and regulation 28 separately bars any charge for the certificate itself.
Romford and Havering scrap car FAQs
Do you collect scrap cars from Romford for free?
Yes. Collection is free anywhere in Romford and across the rest of Havering, and that applies whether the car is on a driveway in Gidea Park, in a permit bay off the ring road or sitting behind a terrace in Harold Hill. Free take-back is also backed by law: regulation 38 of the End-of-Life Vehicles Regulations 2003 stops an Authorised Treatment Facility charging the last owner just because a vehicle has no market value. The only lawful exception is where essential parts such as the engine, gearbox, bodywork, catalytic converter or wheels have already been removed, or waste has been added to the vehicle. Call or WhatsApp 07960 200253 with the registration and postcode.
Can I be paid in cash for my scrap car in Romford?
No, and nobody in England or Wales can lawfully offer it. Section 12 of the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013 makes it an offence for a scrap metal dealer to pay for scrap metal other than by electronic transfer or by a non-transferable cheque under section 81A of the Bills of Exchange Act 1882. Gov.uk states the same: it is illegal to be paid in cash if your vehicle is scrapped in England or Wales. The dealer, the site manager and the person handing the money over can all be prosecuted, and the fine has been unlimited since March 2015. We pay by bank transfer. If an operator offers you cash for a scrapping, that offer is itself a warning sign.
Can you scrap my car if I have lost the V5C log book?
Yes. A missing log book does not stop a vehicle being collected and scrapped. You have two options. You can order a replacement V5C from the DVLA for £25, which usually arrives within 5 to 7 working days, then hand it over as normal. Or you can go ahead without it and write to the DVLA at Swansea SA99 1BA with your name and address, the vehicle registration number, the make and model, the exact date of sale and the name and address of the trader who took it. We will give you those details in writing at collection so the letter is easy to complete. Either way, make sure the notification actually gets made.
If you collect the car, do I still have to tell the DVLA myself?
Yes, and this is the part people miss. The Authorised Treatment Facility sends its own electronic notification when it issues the Certificate of Destruction, but that is a separate thing from the notification the registered keeper has to make. Gov.uk is blunt about the consequence: you can be fined £1,000 if you do not tell the DVLA. Do it online through gov.uk using the reference on the yellow section of the log book, or send the relevant slip by post. Making that notification is also what triggers your automatic road tax refund, so there is a financial reason to do it the same day rather than leaving it in a drawer.
What happens to my private number plate if the car is scrapped?
You lose it unless you act first. Gov.uk states that you must have your V778 retention document and the new log book before you scrap or sell the vehicle, otherwise you lose the right to use the private number. Retention costs £80, and the vehicle must be registered with the DVLA in the UK, able to move under its own power, of a type that needs an MOT or HGV test, available for inspection, currently taxed or SORN, and taxed or SORN continuously for the previous 5 years. The new V5C can take 4 to 6 weeks to arrive. Start the retention before you book collection, not after, because once the vehicle is destroyed the number cannot be recovered.
Will you collect a car that does not start in Harold Hill or Collier Row?
Yes. Non-runners are collected across the whole borough, in any condition. A seized engine, a dead battery, flat or missing tyres, fire or flood damage, or a car that has not turned a wheel in years are all normal jobs. The vehicle gets winched rather than driven on, so what we need to know in advance is the access: a clear run behind the car, room either side, and whether the truck is dealing with a Harold Hill garage court, a rear service road or a narrow front drive. Tell us that when you call and the right vehicle turns up first time.
Do you collect scrap cars from Hornchurch, Elm Park, Upminster and Rainham?
Yes, all of them, along with Romford, Gidea Park, Rise Park, Harold Wood, Harold Hill, Noak Hill, Collier Row, Rush Green, Mawneys, Emerson Park, Ardleigh Green, South Hornchurch, Wennington, Cranham, North Ockendon and Havering-atte-Bower. That covers RM1, RM2, RM3, RM4, RM5, RM7, RM11, RM12, RM13 and RM14. Note that RM6 around Chadwell Heath is mostly outside Havering, in Barking and Dagenham and Redbridge, and RM4 and RM14 run over the Greater London boundary into Epping Forest, Brentwood and Thurrock. None of that limits us, because we cover Essex and the Home Counties as well as all London postcodes.
Can I scrap a car that still has finance on it?
Not until the agreement is settled. Under a hire purchase or conditional sale agreement the finance company still owns the vehicle. The Consumer Credit Act 1974 defines hire purchase as goods bailed in return for periodical payments where ownership passes only once the terms have been met, so as registered keeper you are the user, not the owner. Contact the lender for a settlement figure, and ask whether voluntary termination applies to your agreement. If the settlement figure is more than the vehicle is worth, agree how the shortfall will be handled before you arrange collection. Once the agreement is cleared, the scrapping proceeds exactly like any other.
Do I need an MOT or road tax to scrap my car?
No. Neither an MOT nor current road tax is needed to hand a vehicle over for scrap, and no MOT is required for the collection itself. What tax does affect is how the car gets there. An untaxed vehicle cannot lawfully be driven on the public road, which is exactly why collection exists. If the car is going to sit for a while before collection, declare a SORN and keep it off the public road, because an untaxed vehicle parked on a Havering street can be clamped or removed by the DVLA regardless of whether you have already decided to scrap it.
What ID do I need to have ready when the car is collected?
Photographic ID and proof of your address, and this is a legal duty rather than a formality. Section 11 of the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013 makes it an offence for a scrap metal dealer to receive scrap metal without verifying the supplier's full name and address from reliable, independent documents. The prescribed documents are either one document showing your full name, photograph and residential address, or a photo document showing full name, photograph and date of birth, such as a valid UK or EEA passport, a GB or Northern Ireland photocard driving licence or a UK biometric immigration document, plus a supporting document showing your name and address. Section 11(7) also makes it an offence for a seller to give a false name or address.
Will I get my road tax back when the car is scrapped?
Yes, automatically, once the DVLA has been told the vehicle was scrapped at a vehicle scrapyard. The refund covers any full months of remaining tax, calculated from the date the DVLA receives the information, so a delayed notification costs you money. The cheque is sent to the name and address on the vehicle log book, which is worth checking if you have moved. The refund does not include part months, credit card fees, the 5% surcharge on some direct debit payments or the 10% surcharge on a single six month payment. If nothing has arrived within 8 weeks, contact the DVLA.
How do I check that a scrap operator in Havering is legitimate?
Two free public checks. First, the vehicle has to go to an Authorised Treatment Facility holding an environmental permit from the Environment Agency, because gov.uk states it is illegal to scrap a vehicle anywhere else. You can search the DVLA's Find a vehicle scrapyard tool on gov.uk by postcode, and the Environment Agency publishes its ELV Authorised Treatment Facility register online with permit numbers. Second, scrap metal dealers must hold a licence from the local authority, which here is the London Borough of Havering. The council issues site and collector's licences, and confirms a collector's licence is only granted once photographic ID and proof of address have been verified by its licensing team.
My car is in a permit bay in Romford, does that make collection harder?
It makes it something to plan rather than something to improvise. Havering controls kerbside space through permit zones, pay and display and yellow lines, and it has an unusual rule: all parking restrictions, including moving traffic restrictions, apply on bank holidays unless the signage says otherwise, with Christmas Day the only exception. Most London boroughs suspend restrictions on bank holidays. Havering does not. Parking across a dropped kerb is also a contravention that attracts a penalty charge notice, and there are timed school street closures and red routes on the TfL roads through the borough. Tell us the exact street and what the signs say and we will work out the loading position before we set off.
Havering Council says it will remove an unwanted vehicle free of charge, so why use a collection service?
The council does offer that, and it is worth knowing rather than hiding. The difference is what you end up with. The council will take the car away, but it will not pay you anything for it, it will not make your DVLA notification for you and it will not issue you a Certificate of Destruction, which is the document that protects you from later traffic penalties and vehicle tax liability. We pay a fair price, quoted before collection, the vehicle goes to an Authorised Treatment Facility and a Certificate of Destruction is issued. If you simply want a derelict car gone and do not care about payment or paperwork, the council route is genuinely available to you.
Do you take vans and 4x4s as well as cars?
Yes. Vans and 4x4s are collected alongside cars, in any condition including non-runners. One point of detail on the paperwork: the Certificate of Destruction is issued for cars, light vans and three-wheeled motor vehicles, but not for other vehicle types, so gov.uk confirms you will not receive a certificate for everything on the road. Larger or heavier vehicles usually need more room to load, so let us know the make, model and where it is standing when you call, along with whether it rolls and steers, and we will confirm what access the collection needs.
How is the price for my car worked out?
By the vehicle rather than by a fixed borough rate. The main factors are kerb weight and metal content, the current ferrous metal market, whether the catalytic converter and battery are still fitted, and whether anything on the car carries salvage value above its weight, such as good panels, wheels, an ECU or a sound engine. Age and model matter because they affect parts demand. We do not publish a figure on this page because scrap metal prices move week to week and any number printed here would be wrong within a month. Anyone quoting a fixed price for the whole of Havering before seeing a registration is guessing. Send us the reg and honest condition for a real quote before collection.
What is a Certificate of Destruction and when do I get it?
It is the document proving you handed the vehicle over for scrap, and it is issued by the Authorised Treatment Facility, not by your insurer or the council. Under the End-of-Life Vehicles Regulations 2003 the ATF issues it to the last holder or owner, and it cannot charge you for it. Gov.uk says you get it within 7 days where a car, light van or three-wheeled motor vehicle has been scrapped. It matters because without it, gov.uk warns you could still be liable for traffic offence penalties and vehicle tax, which in a ULEZ borough can mean daily charges and penalty notices on a car you no longer own. Keep it with the yellow log book slip and your payment confirmation.
Updated August 2026. Lines open 24 hours. Call 07960 200253.
Book a scrap car collection anywhere in Havering
Call or WhatsApp 07960 200253 with the registration, your RM postcode and where the car is standing. Free collection, any condition including non-runners, a fair price quoted before we move it, payment by bank transfer and a Certificate of Destruction once the vehicle is destroyed.