Crackdown on street car washers in Abu Dhabi catches 37 offenders in just two hours

The municipality said that cleaning materials were being confiscated and repeat offenders were being fined Dh500.

ABU DHABI // Authorities in the capital have launched a crackdown on the washing of cars in public, saying it hurts the public’s health and the city’s image.

Only two hours into a recent inspection, Abu Dhabi City Municipality reported 37 offences.

It said it was confiscating cleaning materials and fining repeat offenders Dh500.

The municipality said washing cars on the streets was unhygienic and disorderly.

Its crackdown has been effective, as the number of such offences fell to 263 in the first two months of this year, compared with 385 in the same period last year.

Washing cars in streets … causes water wastage and results in ponds in streets and low places, besides causing subsidence in asphalt roads and providing a breeding ground for mosquitoes and insects,” said Khalifa Al Rumaithi, the municipality’s director of public health.

The campaign covers the districts of Al Bateen, Corniche Road and Khalidiya.

Mr Al Rumaithi has urged car owners not to wash their vehicles in public places.

The authority is monitoring those who have received warning letters to ensure that they do not reoffend.