Ryton Breakers Salvage Ltd. are an independent vehicle salvage and scrap specialist. ♻️
We work with insurance companies, accident management firms, finance providers and local authorities across the UK to collect, transport, store and manage outcomes of vehicles that have been deemed total loss or uneconomical to repair.
Your insurer, claim handler, or the legal owner of the vehicle will have instructed us to collect for secure storage, disposal, or remarketing as part of their process.
If you want to keep your private plate, please apply immediately:
Online:
Private (personalised) number plates: Take a private number off a vehicle – GOV.UK
Manual:
If the online service won’t work, this is likely due to the write-off marker.
You must send a V317 form by 1st Class Recorded delivery ASAP if this is the case.
If the vehicle is disposed of or moved on before you apply, the plate cannot be recovered.
Removing Physical Plates:
If your retention is approved, you may refit original plates or leave the vehicle unplated only while off-road/in storage.
Do not leave any vehicle roadside without plates, it may be subject to enforcement.
If your vehicle has already been collected with your private plates still fitted, you’ll need to get new plates made using your retention certificate.
We cannot remove or post plates back for security reasons.
Salvage payments are issued automatically by cheque once storage obligations have ended. ✅
You generally do not need to contact us for this.
This is normally around 4 weeks from instruction, or once your insurance claim has been settled, whichever occurs sooner. 📅
We don’t always get notification your claim is settled immediately…
You can notify us if you’ve had payout or chase a salvage payment using our contact form. 📧
Outstanding Finance?
If your vehicle has outstanding finance, please see / follow below – We cannot pay salvage until finance has been resolved. 🚫
If your vehicle has outstanding finance, we cannot release any salvage payment until the balance has been fully resolved or an agreement made with the finance company. 🚫
This is usually straightforward and, in most cases sorted quickly. ✅
In the majority of cases where agreements cannot be cleared, finance companies will arrange an agreement.
If you are unable to clear the finance or are experiencing difficulties, please contact us as soon as possible – we have a range of solutions available and can guide you through your options.
If finance is NOT resolved, we are legally required to notify your finance company.
Once aware, the lender may take steps to immediately recover the full balance of the agreement and any associated costs with storage and processing the vehicle. This could result in significant loss and costs being passed to you.
We may request your V5c details, where possible we will try to complete the SORN / keeper update for you – this cannot be guaranteed.
You still remain legally responsible for updating the DVLA record or ensuring you are no longer the registered keeper.
Ryton Breakers Salvage Ltd. cannot accept liability for any fines or penalties resulting from the keeper not updating the record or ensuring it is updated.
Appealing fines:
If needed, we can provide written confirmation of collection/purchase dates to support any appeal – please contact us via our form.
SORN
When the vehicle has been collected, we recommend declaring the vehicle SORN to end the tax.
Please do not SORN the vehicle while it is still in your possession or parked roadside, as this may lead to enforcement action.
You can declare a SORN here:
Register your vehicle as off the road (SORN) – GOV.UK
Updating the Registered Keeper
This should only be completed after you have received your salvage payment.
You can update the keeper using the yellow trader slip from the V5C, or online at:
Tell DVLA you’ve sold, transferred or bought a vehicle – GOV.UK
If you receive a message advising “already in trade” this has already been processed for you.
If you receive any other error message, you likely have an old / incorrect logbook number. You MUST contact DVLA in this case.
Updating DVLA manually (Yellow V5 Slip)
Our trader details:
Ryton Breakers Salvage Ltd.
Barmoor Quarry, Ryton, NE40 3BQ
(VAT / Company number is not required.)
If posting the yellow slip to DVLA, we strongly recommend sending it recorded delivery and keeping a copy for your records.
Personal belongings must be removed before collection. ⚠️
Your claim handler / engineer should have advised you to remove items on write-off.
Ryton Breakers Salvage Ltd. cannot take responsibility for this nor do we take any liability for items left in vehicles.
If your vehicle is still in our yard and contains items you need back, please contact us immediately.
If Your Vehicle Is Still in Storage ✅
Please Call / Contact and you can either:
• Collect items from our yard (NE40 3BQ), or
• Have us box items for courier collection (you must arrange and pay the courier).
Large or heavy items (e.g., toolboxes, ladders) cannot be boxed or shipped & you must arrange collection.
Some items may be inaccessible (locked areas, structural damage).
Hazardous or unsafe items will be destroyed. Items suspected to be criminal will be reported to Police.
If Your Vehicle Has Already Gone 🚫
Once a vehicle leaves our site or has been disposed of, items cannot be retrieved.
Time Limits⏳
Once we’re notified to remove items for you, we hold them for 14 days.
If not collected within this time, items are deemed abandoned and disposed of.
Fitted Accessories / Equipment
Vehicles are valued as presented. Most fitted accessories are treated as part of the salvage and cannot be removed unless specifically excluded from the valuation.
Exceptions (include but not limited to):
• Dual controls
• Dashcams
• Hard-wired aftermarket electronics
We encourage you to confirm with us that you are allowed to remove anything attached to the vehicle and by booking a professional to remove specialist items such as dual controls.
If you ask us to remove, this is discretionary if at all possible and is at your own risk.
We accept no liability for damage caused during removal to either the item or the salvage.
If you or your representative cause damage to the salvage, the payout may be adjusted.
If the item was included in claim or perceived to be, the value of the item removed may be deduced from payout.
🚫 No! You cannot remove parts from the vehicle.
Vehicles are valued with all parts included unless excluded specifically in claim.
Removing any parts or components could affect your overall claim.
Anything removed that is considered part of the vehicles valuation may also be deducted from your payout.
This extends to removable things such as car mats and spare wheels.
Fuel must also not be attempted to be removed from vehicles.
Doing so can cause damage you may be charged for, pose a fire/safety risk and potentially contaminate the fuel, damaging any vehicle you use it in.
✅ What can you remove
You may only remove personals and non-factory, add-on items, provided they:
– Do not form an integral part of the vehicle’s function, value or cosmetics
– Were not part of the vehicles valuation / Specifically excluded from claim.
– Can be taken off without causing any damage.
Examples include:
- Dashcams
- Steering wheel covers / Seat covers
- Phone holders
- Clip-on wind deflectors
No other items can be removed without formal agreement
Examples include – Aftermarket radio’s, performance modification parts, cosmetic grilles & Body parts etc.
We may allow some parts to be replaced with the factory original at our discretion and under prior agreement only.