Car park lost property

About lost and found property  

Within reason, we aim to collect, store, and return items of property that are deemed to be genuinely lost by visitors and guests of the car parks and likely to be sought by the original owner. 

Definition of lost and found property

We classify property as:   

• lost property - an item which the owner/keeper has lost without knowing where but wishes to recover it
• mislaid property - an item which the owner has inadvertently left in a location and wishes to recover it
• found property - an item not belonging to the finder that has either been lost or mislaid by the owner or can be treated as abandoned property
• abandoned property - an item that the owner has (seemingly) abandoned and thereby may be deemed to have relinquished ownership of.

Lost, mislaid, and found property is included in the use of the term ‘lost property’. 

We assess property as:

• returnable value items of personal identification (identifiable) - such as credit cards, store cards, driving licences, identification cards, cheques, passports 
• returnable high value items (identifiable or unidentifiable) - such as laptops, keys, mobile phones, cash and other items valued at over £100, like jewellery or cameras
• returnable low value items (identifiable or unidentifiable) – such as cash (less than £100), scarves, hats, umbrellas, gloves, bags, flasks, footwear, old or worn clothing
• non-returnable items (identifiable or unidentifiable) - such as unlawful, for example, drugs, ammunition, firearms or dangerous items like poison or knives

Storage of lost property

If you find an item in a council owned car park, you need to report this to the Transport Control Centre by intercom or phone at the time you find it. We'll add the report to the car parks daily log.  

We can the arrange for the collection of the item or items by a member of the maintenance team or by a member of the mobile security contractor. 

Any items found by staff or handed into us will be transported to and stored within a secure location at Norton Road car park for a period of not less than 28 days with the following exceptions: 

• any items classified as ‘returnable high value items’ will be stored for a period of not less than 42 days
• perishable items will be kept for the date on which the item was found and destroyed the following calendar day
• passports will be returned by post to HM Passport office (UK) or a relevant embassy on the third calendar day after discovery if not claimed
• full and provisional driving licences will be returned by post to DVLA on the third calendar day after discovery if not claimed
• credit cards, debit cards, and other account payment cards will be stored for a period of not less than 24 hours before they are destroyed
• non-returnable items will be handed to the police or other relevant authority along with any relevant details or information to enable or assist investigation
• flammable agents, oxidising agents, and items deemed hazardous will be disposed of immediately and in line with any appropriate guidance

Any items found will be fully catalogued by a Transport Monitoring Team Leader. All cataloguing will be completed between the hours of 7am and 7pm.  

Items that remain unclaimed at the end of their specified storage period will become the property of Brighton & Hove City Council.  

Unclaimed property may be donated to charity, recycled, disposed of, or sold. We do not hold specific auctions for unclaimed items. 

We will always remove and securely destroy any personal data. Any items such as mobile phones will be data cleansed before recycling, disposal, or sale. If we are unable to data cleanse a mobile device then it will be securely destroyed. 

Abandoned property 

Any items, other than motor vehicles, believed to be abandoned will be transported and stored at Norton Road car park for a period of not less than 28 days. 

While the item or items are stored, we will make every reasonable effort to locate and contact the owner and request that they collect and correctly dispose of the items. 

If we cannot locate or contact the owner, then any items will be destroyed after the minimum storage time has elapsed. 

Where we deem any non-returnable items as abandoned, we will inform the police and supply them with information, images, or CCTV footage of anybody that may be reasonably assumed to be responsible. 

Where we consider any items to be dangerous or if hazardous waste is abandoned, we will inform all relevant enforcement agencies and supply them with information, images, or CCTV footage of anybody that may be reasonably assumed to be responsible. 

When we will contact you

We will try to contact the owner of property found when we reasonably believe we have the correct contact information. 

If we cannot contact you directly, we'll leave a message that we may have an item of your property and ask you to contact us. 

Contact us to find lost property

You can contact the Transport Control Centre by email or phone.   

You'll need to provide a description of the item, including brand, size, colour, unique features or other details that will help with identification.  

We may also need to request specific information for certain items, including, description of contents for bags, wallets and purses, phone numbers or un-lock codes for mobile phones and distinguishing marks or engravings on jewellery. 

Restoration of lost property 

If we successfully identify and verify an item of property as yours, we can arrange for you to collect it from Norton Road car park by appointment.

Items should be collected by the owner. If the owner cannot collect it, they can appoint a suitable representative to collect on their behalf. The owner needs to confirm this in writing before we can arrange a collection. 

The item owner or their representative will need to show photographic identification at the time of collection. We'll record the collector’s details in the event of future claims. 

What we can and cannot do

While we will take due care when collecting, storing and dispersing property within our remit, no claim whatsoever will be accepted for any loss or damage arising from our involvement in this process. 

Where a lost item is or contains photographic identification, you will not need to provide additional photographic identification at the time of collection. 

We will not store any chilled or frozen items. We'll dispose of any chilled or frozen items as soon as we discover them.

Claimed items will not be held indefinitely. It is your responsibility to arrange a suitable collection time and make collection or appoint a representative to make collection. 

We will not send items by post or courier. All claimed items must be collected from Norton Road car park.