THE number of burnt-out abandoned cars in Wiltshire has risen faster than anywhere else in the country, according to national police figures.

The number of torched cars has spiralled by 207 per cent since 1997 compared to a national increase of just 67 per cent.

The rise of abandoned cars is generally due to a drop in the price of new and second-hand cars, so that old cars have no trade-in value and have to be disposed of at a cost to the owner.

Every day, on the streets of Swindon alone, two cars are abandoned and at any one time there are 200 vehicles waiting to be picked up, causing Swindon Council a massive headache and costing the taxpayer £60,000 each year.

Around 40 complaints every day are passed to Swindon Council whose inspectors reckon to make about 120 visits to abandoned cars each week.

But the process of disposing of a dumped car is not a simple one.

Inspectors have to fix a notice to the vehicle giving its owner seven days notice of removal, a process that often involves the Driver Vehicle Licensing Agency to establish exactly who owns the car.

Once the car is impounded at the council's Barnfield Road depot, it must be kept for a further 21 days in case the owner comes forward and only then can it be broken up for scrap.

About half the cars deemed a danger or dumped in precarious locations are removed within seven to ten days.

But some cars, not believed to be a hazard, stay on the streets for as long as six weeks and become easy targets for vandals who set them on fire.

Wiltshire police spokes-man, Ken Godfrey, said: "Abandoned cars would appear to be a problem for police forces and local authorities across the country and there are obvious concerns at any acts of arson.

"I can not confirm the figures quoted, however, it may be a trend that will reduce in time."