Council take action over car 'blight'

Three cars dumped on council land will be scrapped - against the owner's wishes.

A VW Beetle, VW Camper Van and a Ford Escort were left on a grass verge opposite 38-40 Avenue Road, Southall.

The verge, which is owned by the council, runs along the full length of the road and includes a public footpath.

Ealing Council’s envirocrime prevention team contacted the vehicles’ owner, William Hepworth of Avenue Road, Southall, in the summer to ask that he remove them after officers spotted the cars.

After he failed to do so, officers issued a notice requiring him to clear the cars from the land within 14 days. When Mr Hepworth failed to remove them, officers got a court order to tow them away. This was contested by Mr Hepworth but the court found in favour of the council.

The vehicles will now be stripped down and any useable parts will be sold to set against the cost of removal. To improve the appearance of the area the council’s tree service has planted two trees and removed rubbish from the site.

Councillor Bassam Mahfouz, cabinet member for environment and transport, said: “This man was using a grass verge as a dumping ground which created an eyesore on public land. Not only does this look unpleasant it can attract anti-social behaviour and make the area feel unsafe.

“He was given plenty of time and several chances to remove these cars but chose to ignore our requests and as a result has lost all three cars. I hope that it will serve as a warning to others who think they can treat our borough in this way. We will continue to take action and make the borough a better place to live.”

26th February 2014