Bradford Council has received the most abandoned car reports outside London, new figures reveal.
There have been 7,625 reports of abandoned cars to Bradford Council between January 2020 and December 2022.
Bradford was followed by Coventry City Council, ranking in second place with 4,738 reports, and Brighton & Hove City Council, which received 4,696 reports.
Around 1,062 of those reports were made in 2022.
Multiple Freedom of Information requests made by Scrap Car Comparison have revealed the worst areas for abandoned cars.
In 2021, Bradford Council was forced to intervene after dumped cars created a nightmare for residents on Bowland Street, near the city centre.
Pictures were sent in to the Telegraph & Argus showing old cars with flat tyres, suggesting they are inactive and left on the street for no valid reason.
Elsewhere, a whopping 93 vehicles were abandoned on Spencer Road in Lidget Green in November 2022.
The issue of streets clogged up with unused vehicles was raised with council officers by both councillors and residents, who were tired of the abandoned cars taking up on-street parking spaces.
A linked police operation in the same area saw a rusted van - being kept in place on a hilly street with a brick behind each wheel - seized.
In a previous Telegraph & Argus readers poll, 91 per cent of people said abandoned cars should be towed away and crushed.
The study was compiled through multiple Freedom of Information requests submitted by Scrap Car Comparison (SCC).
There were more than 135,000 reports logged by London’s various councils.
Sheffield ranks as the fourth worst spot for abandoned car reports with 4,669 reports since January 2020.
David Kottaun, operations manager at SCC said: “Abandoned cars don’t just create a problem by blocking part of a road, a path, parking space or by simply being a bit of an eyesore - they also pose a very serious risk to the environment. Cars can leak hazardous fluids which could contaminate soil and water supplies, while also releasing harmful toxins and chemicals into the air.”
A spokesperson for Bradford Council said: “We will remove abandoned vehicles from the highway and from Council-owned land.
“But a vehicle that appears to be abandoned may not actually be abandoned, so we need to carry out an investigation.”
Bradford Council does not have legal powers to remove vehicles if the owner comes forward to claim it, it is not parked in violation of any restrictions, and has valid MOT, tax and insurance. The DVLA deals with untaxed vehicles which can be remove without notice.
The Council could potentially remove a non-abandoned vehicle if it is causing a nuisance. More information can be found by visiting www.bradford.gov.uk/transport-and-travel/abandoned-vehicles/abandoned-vehicles/
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