How we can help in Bath
Vehicle recovery in Bath
From the M4 the way in is Junction 18, signed for Bath and Stroud on the A46. This part of the M4, from Junction 15 at Swindon to Junction 18, is a conventional motorway with a hard shoulder, and Leigh Delamere services sit between Junctions 17 and 18. If you stop on the hard shoulder, get out by the left-hand doors and wait behind the barrier. The A46 then brings you down into the city, and the A4 London Road carries traffic in from the east through Walcot.
Cleveland Bridge is a key link across the Avon, joining the A4 London Road in Walcot with the A36 in Bathwick, and it carries around 17,000 vehicles a day. The A36 carries traffic south and east towards Wiltshire, and the A4 continues west towards Bristol.
Bath's Clean Air Zone doesn't charge cars or motorbikes, whatever their emissions. It does charge non-compliant vans, light goods vehicles, taxis, private hire vehicles and minibuses £9 a day, and buses, coaches and HGVs £100. If you drive an older van and your garage is inside the zone, check it on the government vehicle checker before you plan to drive it home, or have it taken to a garage outside.
Most flat batteries in Bath turn up in car parks. SouthGate has an 860-space underground car park near Bath Spa station, where a flatbed can't follow you in. The three park and ride sites, Lansdown to the north, Newbridge to the west and Odd Down to the south, are open around the clock, overnight parking is at the owner's risk, and a car left there is a candidate for a dead battery. The Royal United Hospital at Combe Park in Weston, about a mile and a half west of the centre, is another. Many of Bath's residential streets are steep, narrow and lined with parked cars, so tell us where a truck could safely stop.
A recovered car can go to a Bath garage, home, or to a dealer in Bristol or Wiltshire, priced before we dispatch.
Roads & areas we cover around Bath
Why Bath drivers choose BlueLine
Recovering something other than a car
Different vehicles need different trucks and different handling. These explain how each one is done.
Bath recovery & roadside FAQs
My car won't start in the SouthGate underground car park. Can you help?
Yes, but a recovery truck can't get down there, so the first answer is a jump start or a replacement battery fitted in the bay. Tell us the level and the nearest exit, plus the make and model and whether it's a hybrid. If the car truly has to be moved, we'll plan it with you.
Will Bath's Clean Air Zone charge my car after it's recovered?
No. Cars and motorbikes are never charged in Bath's zone. Vans, taxis, private hire vehicles and minibuses that don't meet the standard are charged £9 a day, so if it's a van, check it on the government vehicle checker before driving it through the zone.
I left my car overnight at a park and ride and now it won't start. What do I do?
Call or WhatsApp 07944 820302 and tell us which site, Lansdown, Newbridge or Odd Down, and roughly where you're parked. The sites are open 24 hours, so we can reach the car at any time, and a jump start usually gets it going.
Can a recovery truck reach a steep, narrow street in Bath?
Often, but not always right outside the door. Tell us the street and what it's like: gradient, parked cars, width. We'll plan where the truck can stop safely, and whether a jump or battery on the spot makes more sense.
Can you take my car from Bath to a dealer in Bristol or Swindon?
Yes. Give us the destination when you call and the agreed price covers the whole trip.