The Department of Justice has made Statutory Rule 2025 No. 167 to uplift the prescribed charges for removing and storing motor vehicles seized for anti‑social off‑road use. The instrument is made under Article 66 of the Criminal Justice (Northern Ireland) Order 2008 and comes into operation on 10 November 2025.
The 2025 Regulations amend the Criminal Justice (Northern Ireland) Order 2008 (Retention and Disposal of Seized Motor Vehicles) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2008 by replacing the prescribed charge tables in regulation 6. Those tables determine removal charges by vehicle weight band and recovery complexity, and storage charges per 24‑hour period.
Article 65 of the 2008 Order allows police to seize vehicles used carelessly, inconsiderately or illegally off‑road when that use causes, or is likely to cause, alarm, distress or annoyance to the public. Article 66 enables regulations on removal, retention, release and disposal, including the setting of fees. The new rule acts within that framework.
For practitioners, the charge matrix continues to vary by maximum authorised mass, whether a vehicle is on‑road or off‑road, whether it is upright or substantially damaged, and whether it is laden or unladen for the heaviest bands. The storage tariff continues to accrue for each 24‑hour period or part thereof while a vehicle remains in custody.
The Department’s ‘New Legislation’ listing confirms SR 2025/167 and explains that it uplifts the charges for vehicles seized due to illegal off‑road use that causes public alarm, distress or annoyance. Organisations should ensure internal guidance and public‑facing materials reflect the 10 November 2025 commencement.
Operationally, policing bodies and contracted recovery operators should update tariff schedules, release paperwork and finance systems so that the correct prescribed rate is applied by reference to the time of seizure, the vehicle’s weight class and recovery circumstances. The statutory release process-payment of charges and production of licence and insurance-remains unchanged.
Members of the public whose vehicles are seized under this regime should expect to pay removal and storage before release. Liability does not arise where the person was not the user at the time, had no knowledge or consent, and could not reasonably have prevented the misuse; this protection is maintained by Article 66(3).
Contextually, this is the first Northern Ireland uplift to these fees since 2008. In April 2024 the Department consulted on updating recovery, storage and disposal charges across vehicle seizure regimes, noting a proposed uplift and alignment with practice elsewhere in the UK. The 2025 rule implements the off‑road strand of that work.