Moray Council is cracking down on motorists abandoning unwanted and untaxed vehicles in public places.
Over the past four months, the number of deserted vehicles which have been reported to the local authority has quadrupled from 17 to 68 when compared to the same period last year.
The sharp rise has been attributed to a growing number of criminals trading as businesses selling used cars.
Council trading standards officers have joined forces with its community safety team to track down the rising number of second-hand car dealers.
Community safety officer Willie Findlay said vehicles which were already in poor condition were creating an eyesore after being left on waste ground, in car parks and at the roadside.
Mr Findlay, a former police area commander for Moray, said the final recorded owners of vehicles which have been abandoned will be forced to pay for their recovery.
He said: “The scrap value of vehicles has fallen of late, and the temptation is all too great to dump them or pass them on to unauthorised breakers and back street garages.
“Moray Council will remove these vehicles and the last owner or registered keeper will be liable for any costs incurred.”
Officers have also been dealing with a large number of untaxed and uninsured vehicles being parked in residential streets across Moray.
Trading standards staff are working to detect rogue traders and remove offending vehicles from problem areas.
The council’s trading standards manager, Peter Adamson, said warning letters had been sent to several offenders who have been detected running unofficial businesses selling cars.
He added: “We have advised them of the need to get a specific second-hand dealer’s licence, and to make it clear to purchasers that they are in business and that anyone buying a car may have additional consumer rights when things go wrong.”
Mr Adamson said criminal reports were being prepared for a number of rogue traders who the council had reported to the procurator fiscal.
Anyone with information about an abandoned vehicle should contact Moray Council on 01343 543451 or complete an online form at www.moray.gov.uk
If anyone has concerns about a second-hand car they may have bought, or want to report a suspected rogue trader, they should contact trading standards through the Citizens’ Advice consumer service on 03454 040506.