THIS car has been left abandoned in a Bolton town centre street for more than a week.

And, because of red-tape, nobody appears to have the power to remove it.

Although complaints have been made to the police and the council, legal procedures mean the authorities have not been able do anything.

The car, dumped in Silverwell Street between the BEN offices and Bolton Parish Church, is the latest in a series of randomly abandoned vehicles.

The blue Nissan, which is partly on the pavement across double yellow lines, has been issued with parking tickets.

But traffic wardens have been powerless to get the car taken away.

A spokesman for the council said: "We can only act when the police give us the go ahead.

"Until they have done all their checks on the vehicle we are not allowed to do anything except issue the tickets for parking on double yellow lines."

A police spokesman confirmed that the abandoned car had been reported to them.

She added: "A seven day order has been applied for, which means that the vehicle should be removed within the next week."

Police have to carry out a series of checks on the car and its ownership before they issue the order for it to be removed. If the registered owner does not take it away by the deadline it can be towed off.

The headache caused by abandoned cars has blighted different parts of Bolton during the past year.

Jeff Layer, Bolton Council assistant director of environmental management, said the council receives hundreds of complaints about abandoned vehicles each year.

He said: "If we were to act and remove every one without full and proper investigation and confirmation from the police that the vehicles are abandoned then there would be many very dissatisfied car owners throughout the borough."

In September, villagers in Egerton were up in arms about a car dumped on Blackburn Road.

The locals claimed the car had been causing a hazard for pupils who were using a nearby pedestrian crossing on their way to Walmsley Primary School.

They were incensed that the car was on double yellow lines for more than two weeks.

By April, one family had lived with a battered Ford Fiesta on its doorstep for four months.

The Almond family, who live in Sutcliffe Street, Halliwell, had been reporting the vehicle as abandoned to the council, police and the DVLA since early January but nothing was done to move it. Several people have contacted the BEN claiming that vehicles have been left abandoned close to their homes for several months.

Bolton Council advise anyone who suspects a car has been abandoned to contact Greater Manchester Police on 0161 872 5050. Police will investigate before contacting the council, which is ultimately responsible for moving it.