Council in fresh “purge” to tackle abandoned cars

This car has been left abandoned in the centre of town for some time.

While the problem is far from new, a number of local residents have been commenting on the situation on social media, citing particular examples.

Comhairle cleansing services manager Iain Campbell said "We recently did a purge. We went around and looked at vehicles which were parked for an extended period of time, did checks on them and any which were deemed to have no road tax or MOT were fixed with a seven-day notice. This gives the owner seven days to uplift the vehicle otherwise we have the ability to go and remove these vehicles ourselves."

However, Iain denied that the issue is uniquely problematic to the islands. "I've been with the council over 20 years and it's something we have been dealing with for 20 years,” he said. “But, to be perfectly honest with you, vehicles get abandoned across every local authority in the UK. It's just something that happens."

He added: "We are pretty flexible, we are not ogres, we understand maybe people may be in the process of moving it or arranging for it to be moved or arranging for it to be scrapped."

On the other hand, he believes it is the owner's responsibility. "It's common sense really. If you have a vehicle and your tax is about to run out a tax reminder comes in the post. So if you are responsible enough to be able to pass a driving test, and responsible enough to operate a vehicle, you should be responsible enough to be able to ensure that it is legal on the road."

One particular eyesore that the council, the police and the public are aware of is an abandoned car on Point Street in the centre on town. “It is an unusual one because that car has been parked and left. We have tried to work with Police Scotland and they are aware of who the last registered owner is. We don't deal with a lot of abandoned vehicles which fall under the full remit of not being able to trace the last owner.

"Police are aware of who owns that vehicle and as far as we are concerned there should be an element of pressure from Police Scotland to shift that car."

For those that are struggling to move or get rid of their vehicles there is help available. "There are two compliance schemes, Car Takeback and Reward and Recycling,” said Iain. “So people can just jump onto these websites and see if their vehicle is covered by that."