Stolen burnt out cars

[HMC]

Early 90s Bolton and our sports field would often have one on it on a Monday morning. MG metros and mk2 Escorts were popular. Once they'd been cleared away the scorch mark halo would still be there when the next one turned up. Near my parents house A mk2 escort had been driven into the River Croal and had its roof stoved in, we used to play on it little realising that in 25 years in this exact condition it would probably sell on something called the t'interweb for a small fortune.

[D Spares & Tyres]

There's a quarry near me that people either used to dump cars in or burn them

 

There's still a montego visible in one lake

[Richard]

Can anybody identify this one? Double points if you can identify the location.

 

 

Click here for bigness https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4138/4802672363_f4bd6bf478_o.jpg

[Bone]

Early 90s Bolton and our sports field would often have one on it on a Monday morning. MG metros and mk2 Escorts were popular. Once they'd been cleared away the scorch mark halo would still be there when the next one turned up. Near my parents house A mk2 escort had been driven into the River Croal and had its roof stoved in, we used to play on it little realising that in 25 years in this exact condition it would probably sell on something called the t'interweb for a small fortune.

There was a burned out Metro on the toe path next to the Croal at the end of Spa Road. A few of us had to climb over it on our way to the flats off Deane Rd, it must have taken determination to get it so far up the path.

[Angrydicky]

I remember the burnt old cars everywhere in the late '90s early 2000s when I was growing up. I grew up in a rural area where there were often cars dumped. At the time the scrap price was so low I think people used to just dump the cars rather than paying to scrap them, so it was a mixture of those cars and stolen ones. I remember finding a MK1 Fiesta completely burnt out at the side of the road, and about ten yards away a MK3 Escort van in a ditch (this one hadn't been torched, but it had been nicked as the little window behind the passenger window had been smashed and the ignition had been trashed).

 

I recall an Oyster Beige Metro Clubman dumped in the car park by Nisa on Thorpe Bay Broadway about the same time, it hadn't been torched but the windows were smashed and tyres flat.

 

I also remember going for a day out to Trigger's neck of the woods in Frinton-on-Sea in about 2001 in my aunt's MK3 Fiesta (K738 LLG), there was this car park at the beach that was full of burnt out wrecks, Metros, Astras, Cavaliers, Escorts and Fiestas mainly.

 

Probably the most interesting find I ever made was the remains of an Austin A60 Cambridge right in the middle of Magnolia Park woods in Rochford. All that was left was the engine and gearbox, the back axle, the front bumper and front suspension and wheels, and a few random bits of bodywork. I found a piece of front wing, that showed me it was two-tone blue and white and the engine number told me it was a 1622 Austin, and it had the floor change gearbox. It must have been there since the 1970s at a guess, and appeared to have been driven along what is now a very narrow overgrown footpath and over the edge then down a bank about 20ft. The suspension crossmember was upside down, maybe that indicated the car had been on its roof before the bodywork had rotted away. The funny thing was I went back at the height of the scrap metal boom and the back axle had disappeared, so presumably someone had dragged it out of there for scrap! Which is amazing considering you can't get any vehicles near anymore.

[DSdriver]

As I understand it diesel will not combust like petrol so presumably if one gets stolen and torched the scallies have to provide their own petrol to start it off.

When I lived in the country we knew it was scummy locals who were stealing the cars that were burnt out up the lane as nobody else would drive a car into the middle of nowhere and have to walk home. Strange that the police could never work that out though.

[Richard]

All the cars that used to get torched at the old mine near here were diesel, mostly French. I think some chav had found out how easy they were to hot wire.

[scaryoldcortina]

Can anybody identify this one? Double points if you can identify the location.

 

 

Click here for bigness https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4138/4802672363_f4bd6bf478_o.jpg

 

Mk3/4 CVH escort I reckon.

[Dick Longbridge]

The main A35 road approaching Bournemouth from 2000-2005 often had a load of stolen Fords and VXs dumped or burnt out at the roadside. Only when driving back there all these years later this summer, I noticed a distinct lack of dumped cars. My thought was what are the latest generation of car thieves/arsonists up to, instead of old school activities? Cyber theft? Stealing from Asda? Selling ketamine to school kids?

[fatharris]

I remember my father telling me the tale of a rough estate in Plymouth in the late 90's during bonfire night getting lairy, and the police were duly summoned. They got out of the car to find the troublemakers, and returned to find their Escort panda car on the bonfire.

 

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[Richard]

Mk3/4 CVH escort I reckon.

I think that's as close as anyone will get. It's an Orion 1600i.

[tinribs]

Just a stone's throw from me, two police cars set on fire on a residential street during the day while the police were on a call out.

Turns out the perp was 14.

[twosmoke300]

There is a rugby club near Bristol somewhere ( can't remember the name but Redruth used to play against them ) where the players have had to push a burnt out car off the pitch before the game . More than once I seem to remember .

 

Just came to me . Dings Crusaders

[purplebargeken]

Early eighties some twat nicked my T reg Mk2 Escort, drove it around the quarry in London Colney and then torched it. Twats++

[Richard]

Another one, quite easy this time.

 

[sloth]

bum oniion /\

 

 

our street was a dead end with huge concrete bollards that were 2 foot across and 4 foot high. many times a nicked car screamed down the street and a loud bang was heard. next morning some sierra or mk2 cav was wrapped round them.  

[jonny69]

There used to me a massive stretch of land next to the railway coming out of Feltham that used to be littered with dumped and burned out cars. I guess it's now what's called Bedfont Lakes. I used to count them when I got the train and there were over 25 and more there every time! All gone now.

 

Through the 90s though, particularly in south London where I grew up, car crime was rife. I think we had 5 cars stolen in total, but there were always dumped cars everywhere. Even when I started driving if I got a puncture anywhere I'd phone home and dad would come out and rescue me with another Ford wheel - and he'd just hoik one off a dumped Ford on the way and we'd sling it on to get the car home.

[stripped fred]

This car has been parked up round the corner from me for a few days now. Passenger window is down so now wet inside. Doors are unlocked. Someone's had the stereo out of it. I've reported it to the police but it's still there. I think it must have been stolen? Someone must be missing it?

[scaryoldcortina]

^Tax ran out beginning of October, and scrap is so low most yards would want paying to take an old clio so I'm guessing dumped.

[LC Torana]

So does that mean it's Fred's for the taking?

[stripped fred]

So excuse my ignorance but what happens when a car is just dumped like this?

[scaryoldcortina]

Eventually someone comes and moves it. Or sets fire to it. Technically, it's the responsibility of the police and their authorised contractor to shift it.

[Ben_O]

Where i grew up, there was was a piece of wasteland where cars would be dumped and burnt.

 

There was a breakers yard down an unmade dirt road that had layby's every 500 yds that was always littered with dumped and/or burnt cars. This was when you had to pay a yard to take cars away. I remember when i was a kid, going down there with some mates on our bikes and rummaging through the dumped cars.

One day, we went down there and saw a ropey mk3 transit sitting there with the windows down and the ignition barrel hanging out. Ther were some quite decent tools strewn around in the cab so we helped ourselves only to hear a voice bellow OI!!!.

Turns out the van belonged to someone who had just parked up and w were caught nicking his tools...

 

We had it away on our toes. Lucky that we were fit with bikes and he was fat and slow so didn't catch us..

[AlabamaShrimp]

Eventually someone comes and moves it. Or sets fire to it. Technically, it's the responsibility of the police and their authorised contractor to shift it.

If it's not stolen it's not the police but council as it's on public land. If it were on private land then it's the land owner who has to move it and claim the costs back from the owner by contacting the dvla. They can't just dump it on the road as they would then be liable or it.

 

In reality no one really gives a shit as it's just another car

[scaryoldcortina]

^ True. I was thinking stolen even though it probably isn't, and anyway around here the police and council use the same contractor.

 

 

I bet 50p and a jam butty that because it's november 5th the fire brigade get to sort it out instead.

[Bren]

Cars are difficult to steal without the keys - you have to burgle the house.

 

In a way this has brought claims down - how many fucked tdci focus/ vectra's/ rovers with blown k series would be torched by their owners then reported stolen?

 

Nobody breaks into a house to steal keys for the cars I mentioned.

 

My mate used to work at cammell laird at Birkenhead - every so often the would drain the dock. Cars would be at the bottom, surprisingly some of them belonging to the workers there.

[oldcars]

So excuse my ignorance but what happens when a car is just dumped like this?

I will have 7, 15 and 42 please 

[Clanger]

Just a stone's throw from me, two police cars set on fire on a residential street during the day while the police were on a call out.

 

Turns out the perp was 14.

 

This video makes much more sense* when you watch it with the subtitles turned on.

[Taff]

Vaguely connected, I once had a burning scooter thrown at me from the Divis Tower in Belfast.

I like to think it was personal and not just because I was another anonymous squaddie

 

 

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[Pillock]

Somewhere I have a photo of not just a burned out car, but a burned out car that has been carefully cut into quarters (front offside, front nearside etc etc, all quite carefully cut) and then deposited in a field halfway up a hill that it was a struggle to get a bike across, let alone vehicle access. No idea.

 

Edit: Found it. The back sections look like BMW E36, but the bit in the foreground.... is that even car? There was another chunk out of shot I seem to remember.