BOURNEMOUTH was the worst location for abandoned cars in the region, according to new figures.

Local authority data compiled by financial comparison website Confused.com shows Bournemouth dealt with 518 abandoned cars between January 2016 and October 2017.

However, the council confirmed it had received 2,277 reports of abandoned cars since Jan 16, 2017, some of which will be duplicates, or not abandoned.

Meanwhile Borough of Poole had 553 cars reported as abandoned over the same period.

Both councils said they could not provide an estimate for the cost of removing the vehicles, a spokesman for Poole stating: “Officer time not separately recorded. Contractor costs commercially sensitive.”

The statistics show the number of abandoned vehicles in the south west has risen by 436 per cent in four years, to a total of 25,191 recorded during the period noted above.

This has cost the south west’s councils £50,827.

Amanda Stretton, motoring editor at Confused.com, said: “The rising cost of fuel, car insurance and tax is overwhelming some motorists in the south west, causing some of them to ditch their vehicles.

“Especially car insurance which is now £827 on average.

“Abandoned vehicles are an eyesore and a nuisance.”

The firm has set up an interactive map at confused.com/car-insurance/abandoned-cars showing the number of abandoned vehicles around the country.

A whopping 31,812 vehicles in total were removed by councils across the country in 2016 and 2017, roughly one car every 30 minutes.

To try and address the problem of abandoned vehicles clogging up roads and car parks, and costing taxpayers money, garages and manufacturers have put in place scrappage schemes to help relieve drivers of their old or unwanted cars sustainably.

But, online surveys suggest only one in eight motorists have used one of these schemes.

Those that do can be entitled to cashback if their vehicles meets a certain criteria, which may be easier and more financially rewarding than selling a car privately.