Blighted road cleared of abandoned vehicles

Six cars were seized in day of action in a road blighted by abandoned vehicles

Greenwich borough officers teamed up with police officers to remove the cars from Boughton Road in Thamesmead as part of the council’s Operation Stop It! campaign.

The action is a part of the town hall’s drive to crackdown on illegal waste transporters whose activities lead to fly-tipping and other environmental crimes.

Councillor Jackie Smith, cabinet member for community safety and environment, said:  “This is fantastic work to tackle the persistent problems from abandoned and nuisance vehicles as well as fly-tipping which impacts on the quality of life for residents and businesses in and around Boughton Road.

“We have a zero tolerance policy towards all forms of environ-crime and this action sends out a clear message that we will always take the firmest possible action including the seizure of vehicles, prosecutions and fines running into thousands of pounds.”

As part of the campaign drivers can be stopped and vehicles seized in licence, insurance and waste carrier checks.  Drivers with uninsured vehicles face fines of £200 and six penalty points on their licence.

Borough Commander Simon Dobinson said: “Our officers provide locations of abandoned vehicles and those that are sold unofficially on the roadside.

“We obtain this information from concerned residents and ward panel meetings.

“This work demonstrates great collaborative working between the police and the council and shows our joint determination to tackle environmental crime.”