Two-week amnesty for dumped cars
January 17, 2005
Owners of clapped-out old cars will be able to have them removed for free for the next two weeks, under a new scheme.
The amnesty is meant to dissuade owners from abandoning their cars at the side of the road and will operate in 190 council areas across the UK.
It is estimated that councils spend £24m each year removing abandoned cars.
Dumped cars are a magnet for vandalism and crime blighting residential areas, Keep Britain Tidy, the group sponsoring the scheme, said.
Social menace
From Monday, owners of old cars will be able to contact their local council and ask them to tow them away.
The car will be stripped for parts that can be recycled and then scrapped.
This could mean a saving to car owners, as councils usually charge a fee of up to £67 to tow a car away.
The two-week amnesty was set up after research revealed that on average councils spent £80,000 a year dealing with abandoned cars.
And according to Alan Woods, chief executive of Keep Britain Tidy, abandoned cars can prove a social menace.
"Any old motor left lying around is likely to be vandalised or torched.
"We've even had cases where they've been used for drug dealing and prostitution."
Mr Woods said half a million people complained to councils and police about abandoned cars in 2003, while vehicle fires had increased by 48% in the past six years.
About half of UK councils are taking part in the scheme.
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