Council calls for cash to stop roadside car sales

A one-year trial to target roadside car sellers around Bognor Regis will start if enough cash can be found for the scheme.
By The Newsroom
Published 30th Apr 2009, 12:51 BST
Updated 7th Jun 2018, 17:48 BST

Arun District Council's cabinet agreed to get tough against those whose vehicles line kerbsides across the district.

But the councillors said they would assume county council powers to issue notices for the cars to be removed only providing the work would be funded.

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They questioned whether the county council's offer of 5,000 would be enough to pay a contractor to take away all the cars likely to be identified by Arun's staff in the worst locations.

A separate scheme run by the county council in a Chalcraft Lane layby in North Bersted has been a success in banishing the previous five or six vehicles constantly on sale.

Kevin Basford, Arun's head of environmental amenities and community safety, told councillors the number of vehicles advertised for sale along kerbsides had become a problem. Some locations had emerged as hotspots for the illegal activity.

"They have a detrimental effect on the street scene, often causing an obstruction, denying legitimate use of some lay-bys and can create potentially dangerous distractions at busy road junctions," he stated.

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"Through increased enforcement activity against those who persistently trade from the highway, it is anticipated there will be a reduction in this form of nuisance."

Deputy council leader Roger Elkins said he welcomed the scheme to build on Arun's success in removing untaxed vehicles from roads.

But he continued: "I don't have confidence 5,000 will be an adequate

figure. If we are going round identifying vehicles, we need to be confident they are removed and removed swiftly."

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Council leader Gill Brown said: "I don't want the county council saying after ten cars have been removed that the budget has run out."

Cllr Ricky Bower complained of large numbers of cars for sale lining roadsides.

He added: "I want to see this go ahead, but the money has got to be there."

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Related topics:Arun District Council