And, a further one in four councils don't know if their contractors comply with new environmental standards for vehicle recycling.
LGA said more awareness is needed among councils concerning the new regulations, which stem from the ELV Directive. The regulations mean that vehicle dismantlers and recyclers must treat ELVs to high environmental standards (see letsrecycle.com vehicles section).
The survey, undertaken from October 2003 to February 2004, found that the number of vehicles reported as abandoned rose by 28% from 2000/01 to 2002/03. And, it found that there had been a 46% increase in the amount of vehicles destroyed by councils in England and Wales during that period.
The costs of dealing with abandoned vehicles has increased from 27.2 million to 33.9 million, the survey said.
New powers were introduced in April 2002 to allow councils to remove vehicles after 24 hours instead of seven days, and the LGA recognised that there has been increased funding from the government to cope with the problem. But, expects abandoned vehicle figures to increase because of the treatment and disposal costs associated with the new ELV regulations.
Plague
Councillor Ken Manton, chair of the LGA's waste and environmental management executive, said: “The pest of abandoned vehicles in our local communities is threatening to become a plague.”
“There is a danger that the EU directive on end of life vehicles, which will lead to rising disposal costs for unwanted vehicles, will further increase the challenge for local authorities,” he said, adding: “Clearly this is a significant additional budget pressure that will have to be accounted for in government funding allocation if its impact is not to be passed on to council tax payers.”
In London, some boroughs are taking advantage of controlled parking legislation to deal with abandoned vehicles quickly, and the LGA said it currently working with government to improve the situation for all local authorities.
Scrap prices
The high price of scrap in recent months has meant that in many areas, abandoned vehicles have been picked up by recyclers other than those contracted to councils, but some council officers have said the price of scrap has had little effect on the numbers of abandoned vehicles actually reported.
From 2007, vehicle manufacturers will be responsible for the financial costs of disposing of all vehicles they have placed on the market. At the moment, they are responsible only for vehicles placed on the market after July 2002.
The industry is currently awaiting the final set of regulations on ELVs, covering how manufacturers will carry out their financial responsibilities. These regulations are expected from the Department of Trade and Industry soon.
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