Residents of Vieux-Fort say they had expected the “Derelict Removal Exercise” –an initiative undertaken a year ago by the St Lucia Solid Waste and Management Authority (SLSWMA) in collaboration with the Royal St. Lucia Police Force (RSLPF) would have resulted in a reduction of derelict vehicles in Vieux Fort but that was not the case.
According to them, more derelict vehicles have emerged since that exercise.
A press release from the RSLPF on February 2025, states that a total of 494 derelict vehicles have been tagged for removal, while 277 have been successfully removed during the exercise, which commenced in November 2024.
When a vehicle is tagged, it gives the owner seven days to remove it or face a fine not exceeding $5,000.
Some of the derelict vehicles in Vieux-Fort have been tagged for over a year.
The initiative was welcomed by residents of Vieux-Fort.
On certain streets in Vieux-Fort multiple vehicles are dumped along the roadside next to each other. In some cases only their shells are left. Some of those streets are narrow, one- way and have bends.
Residents have described the littering of those streets by derelict vehicles as an eyesore, a nuisance and a health hazard.
An employee of the Vieux-Fort South Constituency Council said the derelict vehicles pose a problem to them when cleaning the streets.
Ali Grey said: It’s high time the authority remove all those derelict vehicles on our streets. It looks terrible.”
According to residents of the community, they are hoping that this year they will see a reduction in the number of derelict vehicles on the streets of Vieux-Fort.