BUSINESSES in Swindon dealing in spare vehicle parts will have to register with the council from next month.

In a move designed to help in the fight against increasing car crime all firms handling used spare parts or vehicles that have been written off will have to register from October 21.

One of the most common ways of disposing of stolen vehicles is to break them up and sell the parts, making the vehicle almost impossible to trace.

Lionel Starling, Swindon Council's licensing officer, said: "Any business which take parts off vehicles and put them to one side to use again will have to register.

"Businesses that handle vehicles which have been in a serious smash or are at the tail end of their useful lives will have to register and keep very detailed records."