The number of abandoned vehicles in England and Wales has risen by 70% in the last six years - and recovering them is costing taxpayers thousands, according to research.
Vehicle leasing specialist Rivervale Leasing reported 12,500 dumped cars were found by councils in the 2017/18 financial year, rising to 21,106 abandoned during 2021. Freedom of Information requests to 50 councils across the UK revealed Ford topped the chart as the most abandoned car brand, with the Transit van the most-dumped vehicle.
The Suzuki Vitara is the most commonly abandoned car per licensed vehicles on the road, while Bradford in West Yorkshire had the most reported abandoned cars of the 50 council areas, Rivervale said.
According to the UK Government website, a car can be considered abandoned if it meets any of the following criteria:
There is no registered owner in the DVLA database and is untaxed
It has been left stationary for a significant period
There are clear signs of damage i.e., missing components, flat tyres or broken windows
It has been burned out
There is no number plate.
Rivervale's research found the Ford Transit was the most abandoned vehicle in 2021 with 610 instances - the equivalent of 12 a week - followed by the Vauxhall Astra (367), Ford Focus (363) and Vauxhall Corsa (301).
Looking proportionately against the number of licensed models in the UK, the Suzuki Vitara was the most likely vehicle to be reported abandoned in 2021 followed closely by the Peugeot 206.
Ford was the top brand reported abandoned (2,216), followed by Vauxhall (1,149) and Mercedes-Benz (861). Bradford reported the most abandoned cars within their jurisdiction, with 3,561 vehicles across 2021 - or the equivalent of 10 per day - followed by Milton Keynes (1,869) and Barnet (1,846).
Abandoning a vehicle is a crime (Section 2 of the Refuse Disposal Amenity Act 1978) and could land you with a £2,500 fine as well as three months of prison time. You will also be liable for storage costs or disposal and can even be disqualified from driving.
Once a vehicle has come to the end of its useful life, it can be classified as hazardous waste, so abandoning it could mean you’re breaching Section 33 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 which has a maximum five-year sentence and an unlimited fine.
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