A VETERAN Labour councillor has called for a crackdown on people who dump cars on York's streets - and an out-of-hours service to clear them up.

Derek Smallwood, City of York Council's shadow executive member for the environment, said he was concerned that the council's street environment hotline was unable deal with abandoned cars properly.

Coun Smallwood said: "We need to crack down on the dumping of these cars, but equally we need to get them off the streets quickly so they don't attract even more trouble. It is just common sense that problems like abandoned cars, graffiti or vandalism, that are a product of antisocial behaviour, are likely to occur during antisocial hours, and I think the council's response needs to recognise that. Abandoned cars are not only unsightly but can also be dangerous and a target for arsonists and antisocial behaviour."

Andrew Waller, the council's executive member for the environment, said abandoned cars were "a blight on the landscape". He said the ruling Liberal Democrat group took the problem seriously, and that a policy paper was being prepared on it.

Coun Waller said: "The paper should be ready by the end of the year. It will be looking at how the council can run the service over the weekend. If a car is abandoned on a Saturday it may have been vandalised by the time it is dealt with on a Monday. Whether cars are abandoned in residential streets or remote lay-bys they do not send out the message we want."

Sergeant Colin Ventress, of York Police, said: "Any initiative to remove abandoned vehicles from the streets more quickly would be welcome."

Updated: 09:45 Saturday, October 25, 2003