OPERATION Firesafe is returning to Bromsgrove after last year's successful campaign to rid the district of burnt out and abandoned cars.

Police, fire and the local authorities are joining together to tackle the problem of abandoned cars, arson and theft of and theft from cars, and have once again enlisted the help of a mobile billboard to spread the message.

The hotline will be up and running from next Monday, October 13, to take calls from people who want to report an abandoned car. It is 01527 534192.

Sergeant Stuart McDonald, who is leading the operation, explained: "Last year we felt the use of the mobile billboard took the message right across Bromsgrove and Redditch and meant we could get right to the people that are either affected by crime or committing it."

Warren Midgley, community fire safety officer for Hereford and Worcester Fire Brigade, added, "North Worcestershire suffers from the most arson attacks on vehicles and this inevitably leads to a clearing up process by the local authority and an investigation by the police. We believe that last year's campaign worked so well that we are all joining together again.

"On average a car that has been abandoned will be set on fire within six days. This puts people's safety at risk. It means the crime will have to be investigated and the car will have to be removed."

A vehicle amnesty is being held over a one week period starting from Monday, October 13, where abandoned cars will be taken away for no charge. The fee is normally £60 to have a car taken away, and the registered keeper of the car would normally pay for this.

Anyone with information about an abandoned car or caravan can contact the hotline and the car will be taken away and disposed of. The owner of the car will need to prove that it belongs to them and this can be done by taking the log book into either Redditch or Bromsgrove council offices.

For seven days - from Monday, October 20 - there will also be an enforcement period between when the DVLA will be clamping cars that have out of date road tax discs. The car crusher from the DVLA will be in Bromsgrove on Tuesday, October 21, to show exactly what happens to a car with no tax.

From Monday the mobile billboard will visit schools in Bromsgrove and at hotspot areas where cars are abandoned and set on fire.