Liberal Democrats in Haringey are calling for the Labour Government and London Mayor to address the chronic problem of abandoned cars in Haringey and London as a whole.

The calls come following the release of figures showing Haringey is one of the country’s top ten abandoned car hotspots. The figures were produced in response to a Parliamentary Question by Lib Dem Environment Spokesperson, Norman Baker MP.

London borough’s make up six of the top ten and 16 of the top 20 abandoned car hotspots. The figures have concerned Lib Dems who believe that the Government and London’s Mayor are not doing enough to address the problem. They are pressing both bodies to take the lead from their European counterparts and push for an obligation on producers to pay for the recycling of end-of-life vehicles.

Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Spokesperson, Lynne Featherstone comments:

“These figures confirm what we have suspected for a long time – that if someone buys a banger for £100, they will have to pay £50-plus to have it dealt with at the end of its life. The result is that many cars are illegally dumped at the end of their life.

“The Government and the Mayor need to address this issue as a matter of urgency and take heed of Europe’s example. If manufacturers were made to foot the bill to deal with a vehicle at the end of its life the industry would move rapidly towards more recyclable vehicles which would be both economical and environmentally friendly.”