The dangers posed by the abandoned cars littering Kingstons streets were cruelly highlighted last week, when a little boy cut himself so badly on a dumped vehicle that he nearly lost the use of his fingers.

Surgeons at St Georges Hospital in Tooting worked for hours to save the fingers of Daniel Cunnett, seven, after he severed one tendon and badly damaged another last Saturday.

Residents have long been frustrated by the number of dumped cars in the borough, many of them with their windows smashed by vandals attracted by bright orange stickers indicating their imminent removal.

And just two months ago firefighters warned that abandoned vehicles, often targeted by arsonists, could explode into fireballs if the petrol tanks caught alight.

Daniels mother, Sandra, said the car had been vandalised and pushed into the road after it was abandoned in Water Road, Kingston near their home several weeks ago.

She added: Daniel was just trying to help, he was trying to push it to the side of the road and cut his right hand.

They managed to save the use of his hand but he has to wear a plaster for six weeks.

Mrs Cunnett said the car was one of several vehicles which had been abandoned in Water Lane for weeks, although it was only acknowledged by the council on Thursday, October 11.

The car was removed just hours after the Comet contacted the council, but Mrs Cunnett is still angry that it had been left vandalised and obstructing the road for such a long time.

She said: Ive also got a daughter who is 10 and it is a danger to all the children round here. A lot of other parents are upset.

Explaining how abandoned vehicles are dealt with in the borough, a spokesman for the council said: The inspection sticker will go on a car and then four weeks after that the vehicle is removed.

Although the way we process them now is shorter, we still have to go through the process of finding the owner and so on.

We cant just take away cars as someone might have gone on a months holiday or something.

The spokesman added that if the car was obstructing the road it was a matter for the police.

By.Cato Pedder