306: UK car dumping down as scrap prices rise

This is a great 'happy by-product' story, which caught my eye in the UK's Times newspaper today. As the article reports, the UK had become something of a used car dumping ground over recent years, as owners had to actually pay scrap dealers to take their old vehicles away, so unattractive were they. As I recall, slip roads leading on or off major roads were a favoured dropping off point - most abandoned cars had their license plates removed and some were burnt out for good measure. Apparently, far fewer cars are dumped in this way now, as prices of key metals such as steel, aluminium and copper are up and dealers are paying over £100 for many makes of car. And so, at least for now, British side streets are slightly less cluttered. (Photo from The Times online.)