Wrecked Cars

This is not the problem that it used to be, but it is still a ****** nuisance. We went through a bad patch in 2003, when large numbers of cars were being "stolen" from other parts of Leeds, driven noisily and recklessly round Kirkstall in the small hours, and finally wrecked and set on fire in various local woods and parks. Many of the thefts were with the owners' knowledge and consent, because in those days it was cheaper to let the kids "dispose" of your used car than take it to a proper scrapyard. Very few of the cars, or the kids, were local, because the basic idea was to escape detection.

The police gradually got on top of the problem, by using engine and chassis numbers to find the original owners, cracking down on unlicensed vehicles across Leeds and also by making it easier to dispose of cars legally for an affordable cost. In December 2003 Cllr John Illingworth organised a clean-up of the Hawksworth Wood Quarry (where dozens of wrecked cars had accumulated) by Leeds City Council Parks Department Staff. Here is a picture of the results.

Last updated 29 November 2008 at 18:53. Back to the top