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End of Life Vehicle partnership project launch Gosport Borough Council, in Partnership with Hampshire County Council, are trialling a new system for the removal and disposal of abandoned vehicles, in order to evaluate the operational implications ofdeveloping a County-wide approach for complying with the End of Life Vehicle Regulations which came into effect on 3rd November 2003. The trial was launched on Friday 31st October by Gosport Councillor Dennis Wright placing a notice on a vehicle with Gosport Fire Service in attendance. The scheme has been developed by Gosport Borough Council, Hampshire Fire & Rescue service, Hampshire County Council and Hampshire Constabulary. Last year Gosport Borough Council removed 470 abandoned vehicles at a cost of £45,000. Now more cars than ever before are being dumped in Gosport’s towns and highly populated residential areas. As well as being a blot on the landscape, abandoned cars can be a serious hazard to public safety, the new scheme aims to speed up the process of removing and disposing of those nuisance abandoned vehicles, making our streets cleaner and safer. Councillor Dennis
Wright, Chairman of the Community & Environment Board for Gosport “We aim to initiate a link with the DVLA which will enable identification checks to be made quickly. Once we have tracked down the registered owner the DVLA can then recharge them for any outstanding road tax and we, as the authority responsible for removal, can recharge them for removal, storage and any disposal costs.” The new trial, which can reduce the notice period for removal of a vehicle from the highway from 7 days to 24 hours, is something that the Fire Brigade is happy to endorse, as Station Officer Carlton Kerr from Gosport Fire Station explained. “The longer a vehicle is left unattended the more likely we are to receive a call. An abandoned vehicle can turn out to be extremely dangerous object if youngsters play around and set fire to it. This trial will result in a vehicle being removed much earlier therefore reducing the risks.” The HNRI is steering this pilot so that it aims to achieve more efficient and effective use of natural resources. As well as clearing up the cars, there is a need to change the culture, so the problem is stopped at its source. Environmentally too, it is important to look at what can be reused or recycled from a car before it is scrapped and this is something that the project team plan to investigate in Phase 2 of the trial. Councillor Keith Estlin, Executive Member for the Environment at Hampshire County Council said, “I welcome this initiative as it will improve the environment and the quality of life for local people.” For more information on the pilot scheme or to report an abandoned vehicle in the Gosport area, visit www.gosport.gov.uk and look under abandoned vehicles. For further information please contact Amanda Fieldgate, Senior Project Manager, Hampshire County Council, Waste Management, Tel: 01962 845216. |
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