A MONTH-LONG campaign to rid Durham of unsightly and potentially dangerous abandoned cars starts today.

The scheme, run by local police, offers the owners of old vehicles which are kept off-road the chance to have them towed away for free.

Officers hope the scheme will remove eyesores from the area and reduce the chance of rusting vehicles being vandalised or set on fire.

Vehicles left on private land and driveways, or dumped in gardens, are beyond the jurisdiction of the DVLA and cannot be automatically taken away and crushed.

But officers in the Durham division have recruited a garage that will answer requests from owners to ferry their unwanted vehicles to the scrapyard free of charge.

A similar operation recently in the Easington division resulted in nearly 100 vehicles being towed away.

PC Steve Barrow, who planned the operation - called Mammolo - said vehicles would only be removed with the full agreement of the owner who would be asked to hand over documentation or sign a disclaimer.

"A great many of these vehicles are rusting and often have broken windows, flat tyres and are sometimes being used for spares," he said. "Not only are they eyesores but they are catalysts for anti-social behaviour and, in some cases, arson attacks.

"Taking them away will do much to make individual localities more presentable," PC Barrow said.

"From the intelligence we have gathered, we know there are numerous streets across the division where these vehicles have been dumped.

"This amnesty allows owners who have shown little interest in shifting them an easy option.''

A spokesman for the Crescent Garage at Sherburn Village, which is carrying out the scheme, said: "We will be working under the direction of the police and, although there will be no charge to the owners, we will try to recoup recovery costs from the scrap value of each vehicle.''

People who want an old vehicle taken away can ring police headquarters on 0191-386 4222 or an answering machine on 0191-375 2893.

Callers must leave details of the vehicle and a contact address and telephone number.