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MP
for the Gosport constituency, Peter Viggers, warned this week
that Hampshire faced soaring numbers of abandoned cars being
dumped. An independent report by the Institute for European
Environmental Policy has warned that new EU directives and
Government inaction will result in a quarter of a million
more cars being abandoned or torched each year - equivalent
to an extra 380 cars per Parliamentary constituency. An estimated
350,000 cars, an average of 530 per constituency, are already
dumped each year.
Peter
Viggers said, "It is not just violent crime that is soaring,
but now our streets are getting dirtier and more dangerous.
We already knew that the number of burnt out cars across Hampshire
has soared by 59.3% from 1997 to 2000, and this new report
predicts that the problem of abandoned cars is going to get
even worse."
"European
Union directives signed by Labour are to force the cost of
car disposal to soar - a bill which is going to be met by
car owners and council tax payers. Badly drafted regulations
supposed to help the environment will end up worsening urban
decay.
"I
have had a number of complaints from constituents over recent
months, and believe that the issue is part of the wider problem
of crime which has to be addressed - from getting more police
officers on the streets to tackling smaller scale, quality
of life nuisances. Abandoned cars are hazardous for children
and encourage more vandalism and crime in our neighbourhoods.
Instead of increasing the cost to the taxpayer, alternatives
should be investigated, with the Government and local authorities
assisting people who wish to get rid of their cars, without
requiring them to meet a heavy cost. This would remove the
need for cars to be abandoned at the roadside, and thereby
alleviate the problem. I will be pursuing the issue through
Questions in the House of Commons."
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