Local Conservatives pointed today to new Government figures which show that an estimated 100,000+ abandoned cars were dumped across London in the last year – an astonishing 33.3 vehicles per 1,000 households – and a year-on-year increase of 24%. In addition, a government watchdog, the Better Regulation Taskforce, has warned that Britain faces an epidemic of car-dumping because the cost of scrapping motors is set to more than double when new regulations come into effect in October.

At the beginning of the year, the independent Institute for European Environmental Policy predicted that Government inaction on the regulations would result in a quarter of a million more cars being abandoned or torched each year – equivalent to an extra 380 cars per Parliamentary constituency.

Commenting on the new figures, Peter Forrest, Conservative GLA Candidate for Enfield-Haringey, said:

"It is not just many types of violent crime that are soaring across Enfield & Haringey, but now our streets are getting dirtier and more dangerous. New government figures show that the number of abandoned cars in London has risen by 24% in the last year. But it could get even worse.

New regulations signed by the Labour Government are to force the cost of car disposal to soar – a bill which is going to have to be met by car owners and council taxpayers. Thanks to government inaction, measures supposed to help the environment will end up worsening urban decay and encourage more vandalism and crime in our neighbourhoods."

ENDS.