A Third Less Action on Dumped Cars

1.19.47pm GMT Mon 15th Dec 2003

37% fewer abandoned vehicles in 2001/2 were removed from Brighton and Hove's streets than in the previous year, figures obtained by the Liberal Democrats reveal. 4,000 cars were removed in 2001/2 compared to 2,519 last year - a drop of 1,481 in twelve months.

Lib Dem City Council Group Leader Paul Elgood said the figures were cause for some concern and will be seeking assurances that the council is ensuring that the appropriate level of action is taken.

Councillor Elgood said:

"We hope that this is not a case of the council taking its foot of the pedal."

"There has been a huge drop in the number of cars removed from the city's streets over the last few years. It is interesting that the dates for the figures concerned coincide with both new parking schemes and the introduction of DPE. I recall that the introduction of new parking schemes in Hove led to a major clearing of the streets of dumped vehicles, however, these only involved small parts of the city."

"Abandoned vehicles are a blight on urban streets. They must be cleared quickly and effectively especially in areas outside of current parking zones where scrutiny is not so high. They take up vital parking spaces, cause huge inconvenience for local residents and become complete eyesores. It is also extremely anti-social for old cars to be simply dumped on the street and prosecution must follow, if the culprit can be identified."

"They must also be disposed of properly and in an environmentally sustainable way."

"We will be seeking assurances that the appropriate level of action is being taken to keep our streets clear."

Nationally, local Councils have been hit by a 27% rise in the number of abandoned cars according to the latest Government figures. The statistics uncovered by the Liberal Democrats show that a cost of up to £14.6m to remove 293,000 abandoned vehicles in 2001/02 the last year for which figures are available. Over 60,000 more cars were dumped in 2001/02 compared with 2000/01 when the costs were up to £11.5m. This rise comes as the government has failed to introduce policies to make producers responsible for the cost of recycling end of life vehicles, as is the case in Europe.

Launching the statistics nationally, Liberal Democrat's Shadow Environment Secretary and MP for Lewes, Norman Baker MP, said:

"The rise in dumped cars is becoming an urban environmental disaster. We've all heard of the dumped fridge mountain and now we face an abandoned car mountain on the same scale. Britain is in danger of becoming a huge breakers yard."

"Recent research suggests that the Governments new policy of making the last owner pay for recycling of a car will lead to twice as many dumped cars and an annual £30m bill to the taxpayer. Responsibility must move from the individual to the manufacturers as is the case in Europe."