Cracking Down on Abandoned Vehicles

Last week I visited the yard where we send abandoned cars to be crushed. The purpose of the visit was to help raise awareness of our campaign to crack down on the scourge of abandoned cars, which make local neighbourhoods look unsightly and can attract crime in our communities. It is therefore vital that we take positive action to deal with abandoned vehicles swiftly and efficiently. In recent months 11 vehicles have recently been sent for crushing as part of the initiative, and in addition to dealing with the vehicles we are also working to prosecute those abandon the vehicles, with no regard to our local neighbourhoods.

The Council provides a service to investigate alleged abandoned vehicles and, if appropriate, to arrange for their removal and subsequent destruction. It's a criminal offence to abandon a vehicle, carrying a maximum fine of £2,500 or 3 months imprisonment. If you believe a vehicle has been abandoned please report it to the Council by calling 01234 267422.

It was very interesting to see the car crushing operation in action, but as they are crushed into a fraction of their previous size, it's incredible to think of how valuable the cars once were. For the record, the models recently destroyed after being left abandoned in the Borough were the following: Ford Fiesta, VW Polo, Vauxhall Corsa, Peugeot 306, Rover 25, VW Golf, Nissan Sunny, Ford Escort, Honda Accord, Mazda 6 and a Mazda MPV.