THE ROAD TO RUIN

Dick Halcrow’s collection of 18 decrepit Citroën CXS and XMS reflects changing trends concerning end-of-life vehicles. The SMMT says the average age of a car at scrappage in 2015 rose to 13.9 years. Experts say this is partly because, as cars become more reliable, people are willing to run them into the ground.

At the same time, more cars that would otherwise have gone to breakers’ yards are being abandoned. Councils have revealed that, in 2012, 40,876 cars were reported as abandoned. By 2016, this figure had risen to 147,616.

The cost of scrapping a car is often given as a reason for abandoning them. However, Autocar has found there’s still money to be made from an end-of-life vehicle. We visited cartakeback.com, which collects and disposes of scrapped cars responsibly. Based on the registration number of one of Dick’s CXS, it generated a collection and scrap payment of £135. He could be sitting on a modest fortune.