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Over 1m cars illegally scrapped because of "DVLA loophole"

03/05/08

More than one million cars are illegally scrapped every year because the DVLA has a loophole in its vehicle registration system, a car website has claimed.

Government figures reveal that over two million cars were taken off the roads last year but only 900,000 certificates and notices of destruction were issued, car insurance customers may be interested to know.

Car advice website cleangreencars.co.uk has blamed the DVLA for letting so many cars slip through the net, citing a loophole in its policies as the reason why so many cars are illegally scrapped.

The loophole means that rather than owners paying road tax right up until a certificate of destruction was obtained, drivers now have the option to simply de-register a vehicle.

Jay Nagley, spokesperson for cleangreencars.co.uk, said: "This is a serious and potentially dangerous problem. The rules were set up to ensure car makers worked with the recycling industry to improve recovery rates, cut down on pollution and end illegal car dumping. But the reality is that DVLA records have become weak links in this chain."

In 2003 the government introduced the End-of-Life Vehicle Regulations that made it mandatory for cars to be de-polluted and recycled at authorised treatment facilities.

Cleangreencars.co.uk offers advice on selecting and driving cars in an environmentally friendly way and gives motorists tips on which cars are the best of their type.

According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), car production volumes rose by 10.7 per cent from March 2007 to March 2008.

The UK automotive manufacturing sector recorded a turnover of £48.8 billion in 2005.

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