Councillors and MPs welcomed plans announced today allowing abandoned vehicles to be towed away within 24 hours.

Transport Secretary Stephen Byers said local authorities would be given new powers to remove wrecks swiftly.

Local authorities usually have to wait at least seven days before removing untaxed and unregistered vehicles and longer if there is a registered owner.

Under the new regulations, councils will be able to act after just 24 hours for the worst cars and between seven to 14 days where the car has a commercial value.

They will be able to destroy the vehicles within two weeks, instead of having to wait 35 days as they do now.

The problem of vehicles being abandoned on town and city streets has worsened in recent years because scrap values have fallen.

Brighton and Hove City Council receives reports of 500 abandoned vehicles each month.

Councillor Geoff Wells, who represents Woodingdean, said it was a major concern for residents.

Earlier this month, four vehicles were abandoned in Kipling Avenue, Woodingdean, and around 100 people turned up for a meeting with the police to discuss the subject.

Coun Wells said: "It is becoming a very grave nuisance.

"I can only welcome this move from Stephen Byers. It can take upwards of three weeks to legally remove an abandoned car."

Lewes MP Norman Baker also supported the crackdown. He said: "It goes a step in the right direction in getting metal litter off our streets."

He said he would like to see further action on the owners of untaxed vehicles, which are not necessarily abandoned, and give the powers for dealing with them to local authorities instead of the police.

Mr Byers said 1,000 cars were being dumped every day in Britain and the law had to change to take account of the rising problem.

He said: "Dumped cars are an increasing eyesore and a real danger to children attracted to them as playgrounds. Too often they are also a target for arsonists."

Councils will also be given new powers to track down and prosecute owners of dumped cars by a tightening-up of vehicle registration.

Mr Byers said he intended to create a "rolling register" to make it easier to track the estimated one million unregistered cars in Britain.