Claims the Bradford District is becoming a ‘scrapyard’ for abandoned vehicles have been made.
Keighley’s MP, Robbie Moore, says he has been inundated with reports of untaxed and uninsured vehiclesbeing left on public highways-for “weeks, months, or sometimes years’, often without number plates.
Hosting a debate in Parliament on the issue, Mr Moore criticised Council leaders for failing to enforce existing laws which give the Labour-run Council powers to swiftly remove the abandoned vehicles from the town’s streets and said that the vehicles “cause huge frustration to my constituents who have to live on the streets in question and drive past the abandoned vehicles daily…impacting the wider feel of Keighley.”
Specific hotsposts in Keighley have been identified, including Ferncliffe Drive in Utley, with constituents raising reports of nuisance vehicles causing their local businesses problems with their day-to-day functions, and some using abandoned vehicles on public highways for unlawful business purposes, including to sell spare parts.
Mr Moore’s comments come after recent research identified the wider Bradford District as the biggest hotspot for abandoned cars outside London, with 7,625 reports of abandoned cars to Bradford Council between January 2020 and December 2022.
Laws have been in place since 1978 giving powers to local councils to act on abandoned vehicles, with the offence punishable by a fine of up to £2,500 and/or three months in prison under the Refuse Disposal (Amenity) Act. Councils also have the power to issue an immediate fixed penalty of £200 to the vehicle owner.
If a vehicle is abandoned and the Council cannot determine who the owner is, the Local Authority has the ability to give that vehicle seven days’ notice before removal. Similarly, if an abandoned vehicle is on private land, the local authority is duty-bound to serve a 15-day notice period before removal.
The recent research, undertaken by Scrap Car Comparison and based on freedom of information requests to City Council’s across the country, was referenced by the government’s Environment Minister, Trudy Harrison MP in response to Mr Moore, with the Minister calling the reports “shocking”.
Speaking in the Debate, Environment Minister Trudy Harrison Said:
“We need all councils, including Bradford Council, to play their part, and we need residents to do the same. Clearly, the issue of deliveries not being able to get to a business due to streets in some cases being clogged up means that business will not be able to prosper. My hon. Friend mentioned the Utley safer streets group and some particular hotspots for abandoned vehicles. I urge Bradford Council to make those areas a priority, as that is clearly where the focus needs to be.”
Speaking after the debate, Robbie Moore MP said:
"Despite having the power to do so, Labour-led Bradford Council are failing to act to remove abandoned vehicles from our streets.
The Council seem determined to ignore the powers which are already awarded to them, and it is incredibly frustrating to see our District become a scrapyard for vehicles that are unroadworthy, untaxed, uninsured and without number plates - and their snail-pace response to this issue is causing huge frustration amongst local residents.
Local authorities are empowered to remove abandoned vehicles - quite frankly, Bradford Council need to get on with it."
