Motorists in Oxford have been warned that untaxed, abandoned vehicles will be removed after just 24 hours' notice and destroyed a week later, under new fast-track procedures to tidy up the environment.

New laws now in force mean councils no longer have to give seven days' notice before towing old wrecks away.

And whereas vehicles previously had to be stored for five weeks, they can now be destroyed after just seven days if unclaimed.

Oxford City Council transport operations officer Ian Bourton welcomed the new powers and warned his team would use them to full effect. He said abandoned cars were a growing problem in the city. His team has removed more than 1,500 vehicles over the last year. The figure was almost double that of two years ago -- 883.

He said: "Unlicensed vehicles of no value will be removed quickly after 24 hours and owners will be liable for removal costs of about £120 and storage at £12 a day."

Any unclaimed after seven days would be destroyed, he said.

Vehicles are deemed to be of no value if the cost of making them roadworthy is greater than the outstanding liabilities, such as unpaid removal and storage costs and parking fines.

"The vehicles would have to be unlicensed and abandoned," Mr Bourton said. "It is usually obvious. Often they have flat tyres, broken, lights or leaves over the windscreen and are clearly not road-worthy."

Mr Bourton added: "Until now, our hands have been a bit tied. It has been frustrating to have to put a seven-day notice on a car when we know it is still going to be there in seven days' time."

The new laws are backed by a £2.7m investment nationally by the Department of Transport, Local Government and the Regions, which is improving computer links between local authorities and DVLA for faster vehicle ownership checks. Insp Steph Cook, of Thames Valley Police, who has been working on tackling the problem, said the fast-track procedure would make a significant difference.

"It should have a knock-on effect in cutting the vandalism and arson of abandoned vehicles," she said.

Thousands of cars, vans, lorries and motorbikes beyond repair have been dumped round the county over recent years, creating eyesores. They attract vandals and arsonists, and pose safety and pollution risks.

The problem has worsened since scrap yards started charging fees to take old vehicles because of falling steel prices.

Peter Smith, of scrap dealer Smith's of Bloxham, blamed rising disposal costs. He said: "There's more form-filling and more laws on waste disposal." Nigel Pope, 25, of Townsend Square, Oxford, said he often saw cars dumped by the A4130 near Didcot. He said: "Those being dumped are being stripped of more and more parts.

"The increasing number of burnt-out and vandalised cars by the roadside doesn't help boost people's confidence about car crime rates."

Police already have powers to remove vehicles that pose a danger to the public without giving any notice.

West Oxfordshire, South Oxfordshire, Cherwell and the Vale of White Horse district councils have less of problem than Oxford but said they were reviewing their removal procedures in the light of the new laws.