The huge rise in abandoned cars is a symptom of the Government's lack of a credible strategy on dealing with all kinds of waste.

The problem appears to be greatest in the poorer areas of, for example, Eastbourne.

Abandoned cars are usually of little value and have been owned by people on low incomes who would struggle to pay £100 to have them scrapped.

The obvious answer, as the Green Party advocates, is the manufacturers should be responsible for dealing with the waste their product ultimately becomes.

At present, the community picks up the cost, often heavily inflated by the additional damage caused by the igniting of such cars, as in the case of the car park behind Brassey Parade in Hampden Park.

Of course, manufacturers will pass such costs on to their customers - the buyers of new cars, who are not people on low incomes and who can afford to pay the relatively tiny extra amount.

Indeed, we need to guarantee scrap cars retain some value to ensure correct disposal.

This would have an added advantage. As with other types of waste, making the producers responsible for the end product prompts them to ensure the product is recycled and ensure their whole product is easily recyclable.

They end up saving money by recovering value from the waste and reduce its environmental impacts.

What a pity the Government is dragging its feet on this, as on all green issues.

Why should people on low incomes, society as a whole and the environment pay for Labour's archaic attitudes?

-Leslie Dalton, Eastbourne Green Party, Freeman Avenue, Eastbourne