Vehicle Fires

Lincolnshire Fire & Rescue attended 1465 deliberate fires in 2007.  Of these 340 of these were vehicle fires.  The Government have put a cost of dealing with a car fire at £4660.  This cost includes:

• Attendance of the fire & rescue service
• Attendance of the police
• Insurance costs
• Cost of re-instating the environment to pre-fire condition.

We can therefore estimate that the cost to the people of Lincolnshire in 2007 exceeded £1.5 million.

Around 45% of vehicle arson is to cover up criminal activity, usually after a vehicle has been stolen.

Don’t let your vehicle become another arson statistic - follow this checklist

Parking - If you have a garage, use it and remember to lock it.  When parking away from home try to park in a well lit open location and when parking in a public car park, look for one that is supervised with good lighting and security cameras.

Doors and Windows - Lock the doors, windows, boot and sunroof every time you leave your car - however briefly.

Alarms and Immobilisers - if you have an alarm or immobiliser, use it every time you park.  Most cars have steering locks, but additional locks and immobilising devices are worth considering.

Property - Do not leave property on display.  If you can, take belongings with you.  If you cannot, lock everything out of sight in the boot.

Abandoned vehicles are classed as waste, and from November 2004 they have been classed as hazardous waste. They quickly become a target for anti-social behaviour - vandalism, theft of fittings and eventually an arson attack.

It is illegal to abandon a vehicle and the local council will actively pursue legal action to recover any costs incurred.

European Union End of Life: Vehicle Directive

From the 1st January 2007 the vehicle manufacturer became responsible for the disposal and recycling of “end of life” vehicles.

In effect this means that owners can take their “end of life” vehicles to an Authorised Treatment Facility where the vehicle will be disposed of free of charge - during periods when the price of scrap is high, as it was throughout 2006, owners may even see a cash return for their old vehicle.

For more information please refer to the ‘Abandoned Vehicles’ Leaflet in the “Downloads” tab.