Cars seized from streets in crackdown on crime

Thirty-eight vehicles have been seized in a crackdown on car crime and fly-tipping in an inner-city area of Bradford.

Untaxed and abandoned vehicles were among those seized from streets in Great Horton in a joint operation between police and council officers last Thursday.

Vehicle recovery contractor Stoneywood removed many of the vehicles, including ones that were classed as nuisance or non-compliant, and an untaxed vehicle that was linked to suspected waste-related offences.

Alongside action on vehicles, Bradford Council environmental enforcement officers tackled a range of offences affecting the cleanliness and appearance of the area.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, officers completed eight business waste duty-of-care checks to ensure trade waste was being disposed of correctly.

They opened four environmental enforcement cases, comprising two relating to waste accumulations in gardens, one involving business waste and one dog fouling case.

Officers reported five fly-tips for removal and four contaminated bins which had been fly-tipped for collection.

Signs were also put up relating to dog fouling, fly-tipping and littering.

Officers also carried out door-to-door engagement, and a letter drop with residents and businesses, providing advice about the correct disposal of waste, how to report fly-tipping and the problems caused by burning commercial waste.

Councillor Ian Walker, Bradford Council's Executive Member for Neighbourhoods and Communities, said: "This was a really positive example of what we can achieve when council services, the police and our partners work together to tackle issues that matter to local communities.

"Removing 38 vehicles from the public highway is a significant result, but this operation went much wider than that, with our teams also taking action on fly-tipping, waste and other environmental offences."

He added: "These issues can have a real impact on neighbourhoods and on people's quality of life and residents quite rightly expect us to take action where we can."

Sgt Dean Smith of Bradford South Neighbourhood Policing Team said: "Through working together, we have addressed residents' concerns and have taken positive action.

"We will continue to take action to make the area a safer place for all."

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