A crackdown on abandoned cars has seen a council remove 150 from the road in the space of 12 months.

Breckland Council’s campaign to remove abandoned vehicles has been so successful that public complaints about them have dropped by more than 50pc.

The cars which have been now removed were previously located on roads, verges, and fields.

Breckland tracked down the owners of these vehicles and the majority have since moved their cars onto private land or reinstated their road tax.

Ten of the cars were then crushed at the expense of the owners.

A further five owners, who were traced as part of the clampdown but took no action to remove their vehicles, were issued fixed penalty notices for abandoning their vehicles and the council will monitor these cases.

Gordon Bambridge, cabinet member for environment and waste at Breckland Council, said: “Abandoned vehicles can be a real blight to local communities, becoming an eyesore, a danger, or taking up spaces in residential areas.

“We’re delighted that our crackdown on this issue has generated such positive results and we will continue to investigate, remove or enforce against other abandoned vehicles in Breckland area.

“People must remember that cars declared as ‘off-the-road’ need to be kept on private land, not on public roads, in laybys or using residential parking.

“Breckland residents can report an abandoned vehicle to us if it’s been untaxed, stationary for more than four weeks or is significantly damaged, and attempts have been made to contact the owner if they are known.

"We’ll then try to trace the owner, urge them to remove it, or take action ourselves before claiming the costs back from the vehicle’s owner."

Abandoned vehicles in the Breckland district can be reported online at breckland.gov.uk/reportit.