New data has revealed that Bromley is the London borough with the biggest abandoned car problem.

During 2023 over 27,000 abandoned cars were reported to the council, according to a Freedom of Information request made by Scrap Car Comparison.

Bromley had the highest number of reports in London with 2,239 and Sutton followed closely behind at number five, with 1,570 abandoned cars reported.

The data shows that fewer cars were abandoned in boroughs more central in London such as Camden, which had only 152 reports or Islington with 32 reports.

A spokesperson for Scrap Car Comparison said: “The London Borough of Bromley takes the top spot as the abandoned car capital of London as well as the UK, having recorded 2,239 abandoned vehicle sightings since the start of September 2022 within the Bromley area alone.

“The largest and southeasternmost of the London boroughs, with a population of over 334,000, there’s a high likelihood for cars to be ditched by previous owners or joyriders.”

The results also reveal that January 2023 was the month that saw the greatest total number of abandoned vehicles in the year, with 3,666 vehicles reported as abandoned collectively across the nation.

This could be down to a range of factors, such as an increase in opportunistic car theft and joyriding while people were out at festive celebrations, to people opting to desert a costly old motor as purse strings tighten in the winter months. 

Under the Refuse Disposal (Amenity) Act 1978, it’s against the law to abandon a vehicle and not dispose of it properly through means such as scrapping.

If caught, the owner or offender can be prosecuted by the local authority for abandoning a vehicle in public and landed with a £2,500 fine and the potential of a three-month prison sentence.  

David Kottaun, operations manager at Scrap Car Comparison, said: “When a car becomes too much to run or maintain, some people can simply opt to abandon the vehicle.  

“Abandoned vehicles can create problems for access if the car is blocking an entrance, path or even a road, as well as risking harming the environment they are abandoned in due to leaks of hazardous fluids.

“It also stretches the resources of councils investigating and removing the vehicle.  

“While sometimes a vehicle may be abandoned due to crimes such as theft, in most cases where someone has chosen to leave their vehicle, they are potentially missing the opportunity to earn money due to scrapping their car instead.   

“If a car is too old to drive or is not repairable, it could still offer you value through scrap value, so it is never a good idea to simply abandon a vehicle.”