Old bangers and rusting wrecks will be taken away free by New Forest District Council on request. A pilot scheme through December and January in Totton and on the Waterside, offering free disposal of old cars and motorcycles, has been so successful that the council is operating it throughout the area.

The council is introducing the scheme to cut down on the numbers of unsightly old cars which are abandoned throughout the New Forest, causing nuisance to residents, pollution and the risk of vandalism. Many of the old car parts can be recycled; alternators can be reconditioned, plastic made into new car parts, crushed metal turned into new steel, while fluids can be re-processed and tyres shredded for rubber matting.

“This is a great scheme,” said Cllr Michael Thierry, portfolio holder for environment. “It costs the council very little – we organise the collection of cars through our contractors who charge us nothing. They recover their costs at the recycling plants. This enables us to offer New Forest residents the chance to get rid of unwanted cars responsibly. More than 150 cars were disposed of in this way during the trial period in December and January, so we hope that now we have extended the scheme many more people will take up the offer,” he said.

The scheme applies to cars and motorcycles only. A V5 form, as proof of ownership, will have to be produced. To dispose of a car that is no longer roadworthy, telephone the council’s customer services department on 023 8028 5959.