After taking a stand to close down what was deemed to be an illegal used car lot at State Route 104’s intersection with Stottlemyer and Gunderson roads, it seems that Kitsap County has all but forgotten about the eyesore that the small parcel of property was creating.

Unfortunately for North End motorists, vandals have not.

The former sales ground has now become a very visible wrecking yard. The problem started out innocuously: a single car put up on blocks and missing all four tires. It quickly blossomed into a wasteland of autos — one of which has been upended and several others that have been smashed and scavenged by residents who obviously don’t respect other people’s property.

The vehicles, which were recently joined by what appears to be a defunct hot water heater, are apparently escaping the notice of this county’s government and we’re uncertain why.

If regulations exist to remove derelict boats from the waterways of this region due to environmental concerns, then why are these cars allowed to remain on site? Who knows what has leaked out of them in the past several months to contaminate the surrounding area.

And yet they remain. A scar on the landscape and a sad indication that we are all — once again — bowing down to vandalism.

These cars need to be junked in a proper location and the entrance to the lot needs to be blocked to prevent further intrusion. The county should have stepped in months ago to address the issue but maybe it didn’t take notice of a problem that was right in front of its face.

Or maybe it just chose to ignore it.