Number of cars abandoned has more than trebled in the last three years
The number of cars being abandoned in Ireland has apparently trebled in the last three years.
The latest figures have shown that of the 648 cases of abandoned cars in Dublin alone, only one litter fine has been handed out.
Local authorities around the country are becoming concerned about the increasing numbers of abandoned vehicles left in housing estates and on public roads for long periods of time.
Taxpayers are often left with the bill for their removal and destruction.
Seemingly, the figures have skyrocketed since 2014, when only 227 vehicles were picked up and destroyed by removal firms acting on behalf of councils.
This figure reached a peak, though, in 2016 when 820 abandoned vehicles were picked up.
This excludes figures on destroyed cars from counties, Offaly and Sligo, in which their county councils did not reveal their abandoned car data as it was not available at the time of the report, which means the overall figure is likely even higher.
In Dublin, between 2014 and 2016, a total of 648 cars dumped on the city’s streets were picked up and destroyed by the council.
Officials from a number of councils are even expecting the final figure in 2017 to be even higher than in previous years. They suggest that low prices for scrap metal are the main reason for the increase in illegal dumping.
Cork County Council ordered the removal of almost 100 abandoned cars last year, up substantially from single-digit numbers in both 2014 and 2015.
Louth County Council destroyed 72 cars in 2016, nearly double the amount for 2014.
South Dublin County Council instructed contractors to remove and destroy 51 cars last year having not removed any for either of the two previous years.
As one can imagine, the problem of abandoned cars is more pronounced in major cities and counties surrounding the Dublin area.
The cost of removing cars from our highways and byways runs into the tens of thousands each year. Some councils are better than others at recouping the money, such as Louth which issued out €4,170 in fines in 2016.
This falls well short, however, of the €13,195 the county spent removing and destroying abandoned vehicles between 2014 and 2016.
(As always, if you or a family member are considering buying a used car, don’t buy until you run a car check report with MyVehicle.ie where you will find out the true history of the vehicle.)
Author
Justin Kavanagh
Justin Kavanagh is a recognised leader
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