DUMPED and abandoned cars are becoming a serious problem for the organisation charged with caring for the North York Moors.

Hundreds of vehicles have been left on the moors in recent years, leaving others to pick up the bill for their disposal.

The vehicles are being dumped on both public and private land, and since 1996 the numbers have been growing each year.

The recent fall in scrap metal prices, tougher MoT tests, high fuel costs and the tightening of waste management legislation have all been blamed for the increase.

But within the National Park, there are also localised problems where vehicles are abandoned and then set alight by joyriders who have stolen them outside the area.

Between April 2001 and last March, Scarborough Borough Council had to remove and destroy 360 vehicles.

During the same period, Ryedale District Council disposed of more than 100 vehicles, and between last March and January, have had to pay for the disposal of another 70.

Even the Forestry Commission has been affected by the problem, being forced to get rid of more than 60 dumped cars between April 2001 and last March, with their main problem being in the Wykeham and Broxa areas.

In a report to the park authority, officials said: "There is a growing problem of abandoned cars in the National Park."

If owners of the vehicles can be traced, local authorities have the power to recover their expenses from them. The charges are £105 for removal, £12 per day for storage and £50 for disposal.

But when the owners of the cars cannot be found, the authority or landowner has to meet charges of up to £50 for their disposal - plus the officer time associated with the investigation.

Authority members are being asked to endorse an approach where the landowner is contacted as soon as an abandoned vehicle is spotted.

Authority staff will also act as go-betweens to speed-up removal when the car is in a prominent or dangerous position, but will not get directly involved except when it is on the authority's land.