THE city council has removed only 54 of the 988 vehicles reported as abandoned since 2015 – just five per cent - figures have revealed.

The FOI request, submitted by Confused.com, has also shown that the council has spent £5,490 of tax payers’ money removing and destroying abandoned vehicles in Worcester over the last five years.

What’s more, the cost of removals, just £90 in 2012, had increased by 1,600 per cent by 2016 when £1,440 was spent getting rid of rogue vehicles.

Elizabeth Taylor and Susan Ettridge are just two of the city’s residents who contacted the Worcester News last year to complain about abandoned cars outside their homes.

Mrs Ettridge, who has lived on Blanquettes Avenue, Worcester, for nearly 14 years, said in December a mysterious silver Ford Fiesta had been dumped outside her house for six months.

“It’s a nuisance. All the neighbours are talking about it,” she said. “It’s behind our drive on the opposite side road, half on the pavement on the opposite side of the road, and the rear half of the car is on a speed bump.

“It’s difficult to reverse out of the drive because it’s there.”

The previous month, 78-year-old Sunnyside Road resident Elizabeth Taylor contacted us regarding a similar problem with an abandoned Citroën Picasso which had been there since May.

Within a week of an article being published, Mrs Taylor said the car was removed.

However, the Fiesta is taxed until June 1 with a named driver, therefore, according to the council, there is nothing it can do.

A city council spokeswoman said: “The county council, as part of its responsibility for highways, is responsible for dealing with abandoned vehicles.

“However, it has delegated its powers to the district councils.”

She said a car is considered abandoned, whether or not it is taxed, if the owner cannot be traced, i.e. the owners/address held by the DVLA is contacted but they get no response.

“Where cars are removed by the city council, we recharge the costs to the county council.”

She went on to explain: “The reason why cars are reported as abandoned by sometimes are not removed, is because councils are often able to trace the car owner.

“If the car is taxed and is legally parked, the council can take no action. If it isn’t taxed, the DVLA has the powers to remove the vehicle.”

The city council’s annual parking report for 2016-17 says: ‘The team responded to 448 reports of vehicles being abandoned, a rise of 261 on the previous year.

“On our officers’ arrival, 314 vehicles had already been removed or no trace was found.

“119 vehicles were removed by the driver on request, 38 seven-day notices requiring removal were served on vehicle owners and 15 vehicles were lifted, of which 14 were destroyed (up eight from the previous year).”