TONY de Beaufort spent 10 months trying to get an abandoned car shifted from outside his home.

He reckons he made almost 20 phone calls to the police, the council, Arena Housing and the DVLA.

But it took just four hours for the threat of bad publicity to motivate them into action after a couple of calls from the World.

"I'm fuming," said Mr de Beaufort, of Woodhatch Road in Brookvale, Runcorn. "It's an absolute joke that they shifted it hours after the press got in touch."

The abandoned Rover had no tax, the tyres were flat and by the time it was taken away yesterday it had three removal stickers on it. After numerous phone calls - and around two hours on hold - and conversations with patrolling policemen, he was at the end of his tether.

"It's just the broken promises," he said.

"About seven weeks ago two men from the council came and said they would get rid of it that afternoon. It never happened.

"I have spoken to the police, to the local bobby about four times. I've spoken to Arena about four times. They've been useless."

A spokesman for Arena Housing said: "We twice served notices on it and reported the problem to the police, who have also requested that it be moved."

Mr de Beaufort said he spoke to the council 'four or five times' but a spokesman said they had no record of this.

A council spokesman said: "The council has removed the car following a request received earlier today from the land owner, Arena Housing."

The owner of the car lives out of the area and Arena Housing says he has not responded to its letters.