Frustration over burnt-out cars abandoned on Eston Hills
A community group has said that no-one is taking responsibility to remove burnt-out, abandoned vehicles on North Yorkshire beauty spot Eston Hills.
The Friends of Eston Hills group said it had recently counted seven wrecks at various locations in Eston Hills, East Cleveland.
The group's secretary Maggie Gavaghan posted pictures of the debris on Twitter.
She said: “[People] are going up there, driving around in these vehicles, dumping them because they can’t get them back down and then going back up a couple of days later to set fire to them.
“What we can’t understand is why is nobody taking these [car wrecks] down when they are left – they are left until they get burnt, it is crazy.
She added: “At the moment no-one seems to be taking any responsibility for it.”
A multi-agency operation removed 17 dumped vehicles, she said.
Redcar and Cleveland Council said criminally damaged property was sometimes removed, where possible, but one difficulty faced was that it did not always own the land in question.
A spokesman for the council said: “Our dedicated officers work to both keep our communities safe and also keep our beautiful borough looking its best.
“This does sometimes involve repairing and removing criminally damaged property and also working with partner agencies, including the police, and we will be working with partners to resolve this issue.
“We would urge anyone who has any information of criminal damage and vandalism to call the police.”
Neighbourhood Policing Sergeant Rory Sadler said: “The Eston Hills have for a long time been blighted by inconsiderate people who drive vehicles onto the hills, get stuck, then burn out their vehicle causing harm to wildlife and spoiling the landmark.
“Recovery agents are then unable to get to the location to remove the burnt out vehicles and the remnants of damage is left until the council can remove it.
“This is a huge drain on resources for the police and the local authority.”
Measures have been put in place to try and prevent cars from accessing the hills, including concrete blocks, large mounds of earth and ditches placed at entry points.
Sgt Sadler added: “Gates were funded by the Police and Crime Commissioner for Cleveland near to the riding school, which did stop cars from getting onto the hills, but stipulations on the gate to enable horses to pass through has meant that off road bikes are still able to gain access.
“The PCC also funded a gate in Lazenby near to Greystones Roundabout, but the perpetrators have cut through the gate and continued to gain access to the hills on numerous occasions."
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