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Swansea council hails abandoned vehicles crackdown

01/08/07

The city and council of Swansea has hailed the success of a recent initiative to reduce the number of abandoned vehicles left on the streets, local car insurance customers may like to know.

Over the past 12 months, approximately 500 unclaimed vehicles have been seized across Swansea, which has led to a sharp decline in the frequency of car fires, reports the South Wales Evening Post.

Whereas there were 1,700 reports of vehicles being set alight in 2002-03, Phil O'Connor, abandoned vehicles officer at the council, claims this figure plummeted to 350 incidents in 2006.

And he has said the crackdown on unwanted vehicles has directly contributed to this drop, while also acknowledging that it has helped remove a number of vehicles without valid car insurance cover.

"Removing abandoned vehicles, or vehicle which are untaxed, dramatically reduces car fires," he said.

"Untaxed vehicles, some of which seem to be abandoned, can also be used illegally.

"On top of that, some may be used without MOTs or insurance."

In related news, police officers in York recently hailed the success of a new crime-fighting initiative.

Towards the end of May 2007, local officers officially launched Operation Canola in the Heworth and Huntingdon areas of the cathedral city

The scheme saw dummy cars filled with satellite navigation systems and laptops and positioned in local crime hotspots.

And each item was then equipped with tracking devices, enabling police officers to track the movements of thieves who broke into the vehicles.

Inspector Richard Anderson, member of the North Yorkshire neighbourhood policing team, said the initiative had "led to a number of arrests".