A residential street has been turned into a "breaker's yard" due to an array of abandoned cars being left on the roadside.

The vehicles - ranging from a BMW and Audi, to a Honda and foreign-plated people carrier - have been dumped in Cornwall Gardens in Cliftonville for more than a year, say locals.

Many have suffered damage, including a Mini which has had its front end caved in and bumpers stolen.

All the vehicles are taxed, yet some do not have MOTs.

Residents say the neglected vehicles are causing immense nuisance in the community, and are encouraging anti-social behaviour.

"The street currently has vehicles parked around the roundabout which are not roadworthy and appear to have sustained substantial damage in accidents," said one resident, who asked not to be named.

"These have been reported as abandoned and have been there for more than a year.

"One vehicle, with foreign plates, has been there for two years.

"Residents assume they have been brought from auctions, all taxed and then left."

Those wanting the vehicles to be taken away say they have consistently approached Thanet District Council (TDC) yet the authority says it has no powers to remove them.

KentOnline has approached TDC, Kent County Council and the police to determine which body has jurisdiction for dealing with the issue.

A TDC spokesperson said: "If a vehicle has valid road tax, this would indicate that there is an owner and that the vehicle has not been abandoned.

"If a vehicle does not have a valid MOT certificate, it can be reported to Kent Police via their online portal or the non-emergency number 101."

The government website says the relevant authority can remove abandoned cars if they have been "stationary for a significant amount of time" or if they are "significantly damaged, run down or unroadworthy".

The fed-up resident continued: "There appears to be nothing anyone can do about this situation and people are getting frustrated that nothing appears to be being done.

"Work vehicles are also being parked in the same road and residents have noted people dropping off and leaving them for weeks and using Cornwall Gardens as a depot to hold the vehicles.

"The road is beginning to look like a breaker's yard and it is encouraging anti-social behaviour around them."

Read more: All the latest news from Thanet