The number of abandoned vehicles in a city has almost doubled in the last two years.

There were 3,502 investigations into abandoned vehicles carried out by Brighton and Hove City Council in 1999/2000, with 1,644 removed.

Up to April this year, there were 6,652 investigations with 2,668 vehicles taken away at a cost of £23 a vehicle.

The city council spent more than £40,000 on this service during the last financial year.

City services director Paul Hart said: "Nationally and locally the number of abandoned vehicles has been growing. They are an eyesore and safety hazard.

"With the continued growth of car ownership, the increasing cost of recycling and disposing of vehicle components, the number of abandoned vehicles is likely to continue to rise."

It has become cheaper to abandon a car than to sell it for scrap. Ten years ago, the scrap value of an average car was £50. Now it is £3.

New EU legislation which comes into force on April 21 imposes stricter controls on dealing with abandoned cars and will add to the cost of disposal.

The figure of £40,000 last year may rise to more than £250,000.

The way the council deals with abandoned cars is under examination following complaints from councillors.

On average, the city council removes abandoned cars within two weeks of being reported, twice as fast as the Sussex average.

The council proposes to co-operate with the police in getting rid of them more speedily.

It has also developed an online system of reporting vehicles, which will be available on the council web site.

Mr Hart said Government proposals to speed up the process further by cutting notice periods were likely to come into force later this year.

The council is producing a leaflet for people on how to report abandoned and untaxed vehicles.