Get rid of your old car free

Motorists have two weeks to get rid of their old banger free of charge under a new initiative launched today.

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Motorists have two weeks to get rid of their old banger free of charge under a new initiative launched today.

The Keep Britain Tidy campaign has convinced more than half of the UK’s councils to sign up to a fortnight-long project to safely dispose of scrap cars at the end of their useful life without charge. Owners could otherwise expect to pay councils up to £67 to get rid of their old cars.

In total, 189 councils have signed up to the amnesty. Keep Britain Tidy hopes it will substantially reduce the number of abandoned cars on UK roads.

The chief executive of Keep Britain Tidy, Alan Woods, said: ‘More than half a million people complained about dumped cars in 2003. We need to get them shifted. Any old motor left lying around is likely to be vandalised or torched.

‘Don’t allow yours to become a magnet for crime. Get on the phone now and get the council to remove it for free.’

The number of abandoned cars on UK roads has spiralled in recent years as they have become a financial liability for owners. Environmental laws mean they now cost more to get rid of than they are worth in scrap metal, the value of which has plummeted.

More than 300,000 cars were abandoned in 2003, costing taxpayers £24 million a year to dispose of. Those set alight created a clean-up bill of £230 million.

Visit the Keep Britain Tidy website at www.encams.org for a full list of the councils taking part in the initiative.

Councils will be given greater powers to tackle abandoned cars under laws expected to be passed this year. New registration rules introduced in January 2004 also led to an increase of 400,000 cars being properly registered rather than abandonned.