A group of MPs has warned that new European legislation governing the recycling of cars and electrical equipment could lead to an explosion in illegal dumping.

In a new report, the Commons environment committee criticised the government for its 'lack of guidance and clarity' over the handling of the new directives and suggested that the poor preparation would cause an increase in fly-tipping.

The number of cars abandoned a year could double from the current level of 340,000 as the increased costs associated with legislation take affect.

However, the report said lessons had been learned from the 'fridge mountain' fiasco of 2002, when a lack of recycling capacity caused thousands of old fridges to pile up waiting for disposal.

The report also questioned whether the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs had enough expertise and experience to implement the End-of-Life Vehicles (ELV) Directive and Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive.

The directives compel member states to recover the components of vehicles and electrical goods, which include a wide range of metals such as platinum and palladium.

Committee chairman, Paddy Tipping, commented: 'There is a real need to involve industry stakeholders at the beginning of discussions; to set up stakeholder teams involving the private sector; and to think through the practical consequences of new Directives.'

The report also stated that confusion within the waste management industry due to poor governmental guidance may have scared off investment in new recycling facilities.