New crackdown on old wreck dumpers

5:03pm Wednesday 7th March 2001

Drivers who abandon their vehicles in Hertsmere could face prosecution under a council scheme to reduce its spending on the growing problem.

The borough council is currently footing the bill for unclaimed vehicles to be towed away and scrapped, at a cost of around £125 per car.

But the number of vehicles being abandoned is rising and recently the council paid out £7,000 in just one month on tackling the issue.

Council members are now calling for prosecutions to take place so the owners of the vehicles would be made to foot the bill themselves.

Councillor Robert Calcutt, vice-chairman of the environment committee, said: "It is a big problem a string of people are leaving their cars on the road."

He claimed the problem was down to the fact that owners were now having to pay for their vehicles to be scrapped at scrap yards.

Recently the council has begun tracing owners and asking them to remove their vehicles within 28 days, but few have come forward.

On average between 130 and 150 abandoned vehicles are reported to the council each month, out of which it removes and scraps 50.

Since April last year the council has spent £20,500 on the problem, and councillors are concerned the money could be better spent elsewhere.

Labour group leader Frank Ward is urging the council to make more use of police access to the vehicle registration records, in order to trace the vehicle owners.

He said: "These are potential bombs when they are left on the street the kids set them on fire and turn them into bombs."

Mr Calcutt said a party of councillors was being established to look at the issue, and assess the council's options.

North Hertfordshire Council has introduced a scheme of offering refunds to people who take their old vehicles to be scrapped.

"We don't want to go down the route of prosecuting people, but if they continue to break the law in this way they will come under scrutiny," he said.

A council spokesperson this week said that details of the owners of abandoned vehicles were being retrieved from the licensing authority.

"When DVLA confirm details of the last known owner it is often the case that no records are held or that the vehicle has been sold on," he said.

Currently the council has to follow a legal procedure in order to remove abandoned vehicles, which can take up to eight weeks.

Editor's choice