Almost 800 reports of vehicles being abandoned across the district have been made to Bradford Council in the last three years, and more than 80 of these were scrapped as a result.

The figures, released under Freedom of Information rules, show that since April 2010 a total of 796 such reports were made to the authority, which has responsibility for dealing with abandoned vehicles. Of these vehicles, 87 needed to be scrapped.

However, in recent years there has been a drop in the number of reported abandoned vehicles removed and subsequently scrapped by the Council.

The figures show that in 2010/11 there were 236 reports, 48 of which were scrapped, amounting to 20 per cent. In 2011/12 that figure was 330 reports, 33 of which were scrapped, or ten per cent. And so far this financial year there have been 230 reports, and a total of six vehicles needed to be scrapped – amounting to just three per cent.

Ian Bairstow, the Council’s strategic director with responsibility for abandoned vehicles, said: “Over the past 13 years there is a clear downward trend in the number of reported abandoned vehicles removed and scrapped by the Council.

This is mainly due to the following factors: increasing scrap metal prices, changes by the DVLA making the responsibility for change of ownership rest with the selling party, and the excellent work by West Yorkshire Police to co-ordinate the rapid removal of vehicles with the Council and the contractor.”

Where it appears that a vehicle has been abandoned it is the duty of the local authority to remove the vehicle. This applies to all land in the open air or any land forming part of a highway.

However, if the vehicle is not on the carriageway, this duty does not apply where the costs of the removing it to the nearest convenient carriageway are unreasonably high.

For certain types of abandoned vehicles the Council is bound to try to trace the owner of the vehicle and give them seven days’ written notice if they intend to dispose of the vehicle if it is not collected within that time.

To report a suspected abandoned vehicle to the Council, call (01274) 431000 or visit bradford.gov.uk.