Abandoned cars spoil the moors

Hundreds of vehicles have been left on the North York Moors in recent years leaving local authorities to pick up the bill for their disposal.

The vehicles are being dumped on both public and private land and since 1996 the numbers involved have been growing annually.

The fall in scrap metal prices, tougher MoT tests, high fuel costs and the tightening of waste management legislation have all been blamed for the increase.

But within the National Park there are also localised problems where vehicles have often been abandoned and then set alight by joyriders who have stolen them from outside the area.

Between April 2001 and March last year, Scarborough Borough Council had to remove and destroy at least 360 vehicles.

During the same period, Ryedale District Council had to dispose of more than 100 vehicles, and between March last year and January 2003 have had to pay for the disposal of a further 70.

The Forestry Commission has also been affected by the problem, being forced to get rid of more than 60 dumped cars between April 2001 and March last year, with their main problem being in the Wykeham and Broxa areas.

In a report to the park authority officials said: "There is a growing problem of abandoned cars in the National Park."

If owners of the vehicles can be traced local authorities have the power to recover their expenses from them. The charges are £105 for removal, £12 per day storage and £50 for disposal.

When the owners of the cars cannot be found the authority or landowner has to meet charges of up to £50 for their disposal, plus the officer time associated with an investigation.

Authority members are being asked to endorse an approach where the landowner is contacted as soon as an abandoned vehicle is spotted.

Authority staff will also act as a go-between to speed-up removal when the car is in a prominent or dangerous position, but it will not get directly involved other than when it is on authority land.