Idmiston Parish Council are extremely concerned at this dramatic rise, that in Salisbury District has seen a jump from 170 cases in 1997 to 882 in 2001 and to a predicted 1,000+ this year.

Dumping a motor vehicle is a criminal offence, explained Geoff Silver, SDC’s Head of Environmental Health Services, and those who do it may be prosecuted; in theory at least.

However, proving ownership is not straightforward, as most dumped vehicles have number plates and VIN (Vehicle Identity Numbers) removed. Where it is possible to identify the vehicle, proving ownership from DVLA records is also problematic; DVLA records merely identify the registered keeper of the vehicle, not the owner.

Whilst the government committed itself to further strengthening the legislation to allow the more effective tracing of owners, by changing the system with the V10 forms, this has yet to be implemented.

As from the beginning of this month, new EU regulations have further increased the costs of correct dismantling and recycling vehicles at the end of their life.

Further ahead, in 2007, the EU End of Life Vehicle Directive will come into force and will place an obligation on the manufacturers to meet the costs of disposal. It is unclear how this will happen.

In the meantime, to meet the exhorbitant rise in cases of abandoned cars, SDC is re- tendering its contract for the removal of abandoned vehicles in order to best meet the needs of the communities blighted by this. The new contracts offered will have to be able to meet the expected increased capacity. Local businesses who wish to recycle vehicles are welcome to submit a tender.

Among the issues that Cabinet will be considering is the increased costs of the removal and disposal and also the best policy through which to do it; including the SDC, for a small fee, collecting vehicles at the end of their life.

It was further noted that in some instances, individuals are ‘making a living’ out of abandoning cars and removing their identities. Any information leading to the identity of these individuals should be passed on to the local police, or Geoff Silver in Environmental Health.