Three boroughs in south London have the highest recorded number of abandoned vehicles, according to new data over a three-year period.

New data obtained in an FOI by Scrap Car Comparison revealed the top ten London boroughs with the highest number of abandoned cars.

The data was collected over a three-year period, from reports logged between the beginning of January 2020 – December 2022.

Three south London boroughs, Lewisham, Bexley and Croydon, were on that list with some of the highest figures for abandoned cars in London.

The interactive data below shows the top ten London boroughs that made the list.

Here are the figures for the three south London boroughs:

Lewisham

Lewisham ranked in the third highest spot with 5,314 reports of abandoned cars in the borough between January 2020 – December 2022.

Croydon

Croydon was ranked in seventh position with a recorded 4,003 cases of abandoned cars in the borough.

Bexley

Bexley was listed in tenth place with 3,347 reports of abandoned cars in the borough.

The most common car models to be abandoned were Ford cars with a total of 4,271 recorded abandoned cars, Vauxhall with 2,848 cars and Volkswagen with 2,284 cars Mercedes models were the fourth highest with 2,024 abandoned cars and BMW had 1,738 recorded abandoned cars.

A spokesperson for Scrap Car Comparison said that these abandoned cars pose potentially dangerous environmental risks due to the potential for “hazardous fluids” to leak out and contaminate soil and water supplies.

They also added that scrapping an old or unwanted vehicle would have financial benefits as well as environmental ones.

David Kottaun, Operations Manager at Scrap Car Comparison commented:“Abandoned cars don’t just create a problem by blocking part of a road, a path, parking space or by simply being a bit of an eyesore - they also pose a very serious risk to the environment.

“Cars can leak hazardous fluids which could contaminate soil and water supplies, while also releasing harmful toxins and chemicals into the air.

“No matter how old a car may be, it is never a good idea to just ‘leave it behind’, with scrapping always being the environmentally friendly option.

“Beyond that, it is also the wallet-friendly option, because by simply ditching a car that has reached the end of its life, rather than scrapping it, you could be walking away from money.

“Of course, some cars are abandoned due to more suspicious circumstances, so if you feel you have spotted an abandoned vehicle, it is always worth reporting it to your local council.”