Vehicle Fires
 On
average GFRS has been called out to deal with over 550
vehicle fires that have been classed as arson over the
past five years. The Government have put a cost of dealing
with a car fire at £4000 each (2002 figures). These
costs include:
• the attendance of the fire & rescue service
• the attendance of the police
• insurance costs
• the cost of re-instating the environment to pre-fire
condition.
We can therefore estimate that
the cost to the people of Gloucestershire has exceeded
£2.2 million per year
Abandoned Vehicles
Abandoned vehicles are classed
as waste, and from November 2004 they have been classed
as hazardous waste. They quickly become a target for
anti-social behaviour – vandalism, theft of fittings
and eventually an arson attack.
Vehicles are abandoned because
the last owners will not take them to a scrap dealer
– it is cheaper and easier to abandon the vehicle
and disclaim all knowledge of the vehicle. This is illegal
and the local council will actively pursue legal action
to recover any costs incurred.
 The
ATF has introduced a free helpline
for people to report abandoned vehicles:-
FREEPHONE 0800 180 4140
or complete the on-line reporting
form Abandoned
Vehicle Reporting Form on this website
The ATF target is to remove abandoned
vehicles within 48 hours once reported, a “police
aware” sticker does not indicate that the vehicle
has been reported to the ATF as abandoned.
European Union End of Life: Vehicle Directive
From the 1st January 2007 the vehicle manufacturer is responsible for the disposal and recycling of "end of life" vehicles.
In effect this means that owners can take their "end of life" vehicles to an Authorised Treatment Facility where the vehicle will be disposed of free of charge - during periods when the price of scrap is high, as it was throughout 2006, owners may even see a cash return for their old vehicle.
To find your nearest Authorised Treatment Facility follow this link:
www.recycleyourcar.co.uk/site-home/default.asp
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