Clamping down on car tax dodgers

5:14pm Wednesday 29th August 2007

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WITH more than 1,000 untaxed vehicles in the county, Wiltshire Police have been out in force this month clamping down on car tax evaders.

August has seen a joint Police and Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) operation to target motorists who drive vehicles without a valid tax disc.

More than 70 vehicles have been clamped or towed away this month as a result of not having a valid licence.

Car tax can only be paid for using a valid MOT and insurance certificate, which means cars without tax are often uninsured.

Police statistics say occupants of untaxed vehicles are more likely to be involved in criminal activities involving drugs, anti-social behaviour, burglary and violent crime.

Chief Inspector Nick Elton, head of Wiltshire Police's Roads Policing Unit, said: "By confiscating untaxed vehicles the DVLA is reducing the number of potentially dangerous, uninsured and un-roadworthy vehicles on our roads, helping to make them safer places.

"This is a countywide operation and is great news for law abiding motorists and bad news for criminals.

"We are committed to helping reduce crime and making the streets safer for everyone."

The operation has been conducted using a fleet of vans specially equipped with state-of-the-art Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology.

The vans, fitted with four sophisticated scanning cameras, automatically check number plates against a list of untaxed vehicles in a matter of seconds.

"This means we and the DVLA can track down, impound and potentially crush untaxed vehicles quicker than ever before," said Chief Insp Elton.

"This is bad news for car tax evaders because any car identified as untaxed will be immediately clamped and possibly impounded and those not claimed after seven days could be crushed."