NEW laws giving Welsh councils powers to tow away and scrap abandoned cars within a week were today welcomed.

The National Assembly has changed the laws governing removal of dumped vehicles - allowing them to be moved within seven days instead of the previous 35.

And the Assembly hopes in time to follow England's example and allow councils to tow away dumped cars after just 24 hours of their discovery.

The news was welcomed by Newport AM John Griffiths who has been campaigning for a change in the law.

He said: "This is good news and I am very pleased but we should now be working hard to catch up with the English law which allows cars to be removed after just 24 hours.

"These dumped cars are not only a nuisance, they are also dangerous - one careless match could turn a car into a fireball.

"We should not be following England's example but setting our own example before someone is seriously injured."

The problem of dumped cars has become an issue for communities across Gwent and Britain in recent years as the price of scrap metal plummeted from £35 per tonne in 1998 to about £10 per tonne today.

Some car owners now have to pay to have their vehicle taken away.

Although abandoning a vehicle carries a maximum penalty of three months imprisonment or a fine of £2,500, few owners are prosecuted - a situation that is expected to change after this week's change in the law.

Councils now have greater powers to access DVLA records and an 'invest to save' scheme that will tighten up vehicle registration so owners are traced more easily.

A spokeswoman for the Assembly said: "The Welsh Assembly Government is considering similar amendments (to those seen in England) to the notice periods."

Mr Griffiths said: "I sincerely hope that we can change the law before the summer when children are drawn to play near these cars - some youngsters learn to vandalise near abandoned cars."

* In the picture: Abandoned cars are dangerous as well as a blight on the environment