LONDON's old cars will be scrapped without charge after an EU directive became law in the UK yesterday.

The "end-of-life vehicles directive" will make car manufacturers responsible for disposing of their brands in an environmentally-friendly way.

Owners will then be issued with a certificate of destruction which will let the vehicle be deregistered from the DVLA database.

Two million cars and vans are scrapped every year, often at a cost of about £25 each to the owner.

But now manufacturers will pay for the removal of the vehicles, rather than London tax payers.

Conservative MEP for London Syed Kamall said abandoned cars were a major concern for residents.

"One of the biggest complaints local Conservative action teams receive on the doorstep is about dumped cars," he said.

"Abandoned old cars are an eyesore, they are dangerous to children who play in them and they contain substances that can be harmful to the environment. There is now no excuse for scrapping old cars in an irresponsible way.

"I would have preferred it if the British government had entered into a voluntary agreement with the manufacturers, rather than waiting for a European directive, but at least it's good news for owners wanting to scrap their old cars."

The law says cars should be taken away for free but owners may still get a small sum of money for the car depending on the price of scrap metal.

In 2003 more than a third of all the cars abandoned in the UK were dumped in London.

In October 2004, the Home Office launched operation Scrap-it in London, which allows all untaxed or abandoned vehicles to be removed within 72 hours of reporting.

The government also launched a free take-back service in March 2004 which allowed boroughs to collect unwanted cars.