Tuesday 18 July 2006 - 09.00hrs
Hundreds of abandoned vehicles are deliberately set on fire in
Bristol every year at a massive cost to tax payers. Avon Fire &
Rescue Service’s Arson Task Force (ATF) has formed a new
partnership to try and combat this problem by catching the vehicles
before they hit the streets.
The ATF has teamed up with Manheim Car Auctions and Sims Group
UK to sign an agreement which will remove from the public market
all vehicles that sell for £75 or less at auction. It is thought
this is the first time such a protocol has been introduced in the
UK. Under the agreement, Sims Group will automatically bid for any
vehicle which doesn’t reach £75 at auction, and will remove it for
recycling or disposal.
It is hoped the agreement will reduce:
- The number of illegally driven vehicles
- The number of community cars – vehicles which no one owns but
everyone drives in an area
- The number of abandoned vehicles
- The number of vehicle arsons AF&RS attends
All this will cut the amount of tax payers’ money spent dealing
with abandoned vehicles and vehicle arson.
Inspector Paul Bunt is one of the organizers of the ATF. He
said: "A recent study of vehicles sold cheaply at auction showed
that 80% were never officially registered, meaning that many would
be driven untaxed, uninsured and in a unroadworthy condition. In
fact during the study five had already come to the attention of the
police. We hope this scheme will have a significant impact in
keeping these vehicles off the streets in the first place and thus
reduce vehicle crime and anti-social behaviour."
An official signing of the protocol will take place on
Wednesday 19 July at midday, at Hinton Rescue Yard,
Bamfield, Whitchurch, Bristol. All press are welcome to
attend.