Accident recovery across South West London.

The Wandsworth one-way system, the Kingston gyratory and the approaches to Putney, Wandsworth and Hammersmith bridges all share a characteristic: once something stops, there is nowhere for the traffic behind it to go.

That makes a stationary damaged vehicle here a fast-escalating problem, and it makes prompt recovery worth more than it might be elsewhere. It also means the recovery vehicle has to approach from the right direction — on a one-way system there may be no second attempt without going all the way round.

The A3 through Wandsworth, Putney Vale and out towards Kingston is fast dual carriageway for much of its length, with limited places to stop. The A316 Chertsey Road is similar approaching Twickenham.

If your vehicle is on either and cannot be moved, treat it as you would a motorway: people out and behind a barrier, 999 if it is in a live lane, and no attempt to push it yourself.

Wimbledon during the championships and Twickenham on a match day both operate under road closures, suspended parking bays and heavy pedestrian traffic. Richmond in summer is congested more or less continuously.

None of that stops a recovery, but it changes the route and the realistic timing. Tell us if it applies and we will plan around it rather than getting stuck in it.

Much of SW London is controlled parking, and an undriveable vehicle left in a resident bay is still subject to that bay's rules. Penalties accruing while you wait for an insurer to call back is a genuinely common problem here.

Getting the vehicle into secure storage removes that, keeps it available for assessment, and means it is not sitting on a street where you cannot watch it.