Frustrations over the ‘blight’ of dumped cars and caravans in the south of the Isle of Wight were vented at a recent public meeting.
Parish Councillor Simon Rhodes spoke out at Niton and Whitwell Parish Council, blasting ‘people like that’ who dump cars and caravans. He said Allotment Road car park was still a ‘bugbear’, with people leaving cars there with no insurance or MOT.
It comes after Councillor Michael Lilley complained about the ‘absolute misery’ of abandoned vehicles at Ryde Town Council earlier this year.
Cllr Rhodes told the meeting:
“It’s a blight that you’re seeing. The gentleman that used to park his dilapidated caravan down on the undercliff has now turned up at Brighstone.
“We’ve got a dumped caravan on the way up Bleak Down way, two in Chale. Surely two bollards there would stop anything being parked there ever again?
“It just seems that the public realm we inhabit gets polluted by people like that – dump caravans here, dump cars there.
“It seems so frustrating that nothing can be done about it.”
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Councillor Lorraine Sheerin, who chairs the parish council, said the public body does not have the power to clamp vehicles. However, it was agreed the issue would be on next month’s meeting agenda for further consideration.
County Councillor Claire Critchison, Green Party ward councillor for Chale, Niton and Shorwell, said she is continuing to work with council officers to tighten up the enforcement of abandoned and nuisance vehicles.
She added:
“Those that leave their vehicles and caravans on the highway or communal amenity areas spoil the enjoyment or ability for residents to use them legitimately.”
An Isle of Wight Council spokesperson said the authority receives hundreds of reports of potentially abandoned vehicles each year and understands the concerns residents have when vehicles appear to be left unattended for long periods.
However, vehicles cannot be removed simply because they have been parked in the same location for a long time, are untaxed or appear neglected, they said.
The spokesperson added:
“There is a legal process that must be followed before any vehicle can be removed. Under its statutory duties, Island Roads investigates every report on behalf of the council to determine whether a vehicle has genuinely been abandoned.
“Each case is assessed individually, taking into account factors such as the vehicle’s condition, how long it has been in place and whether there are signs that the owner intends to return.
“Only once all enquiries have been completed and the available evidence considered can a vehicle be formally deemed abandoned and removed.”
