Road tax blitz

4:11pm Wednesday 11th July 2007

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A YEAR-LONG DVLA clampdown netted 2,512 cars with out-of date tax discs in Cwmbran.

The cars were either clamped or towed away between May last year and June of this year.

According to DVLA the figure has doubled compared to the same period the year before.

It says part of the success of the operation has been due to the new high-tech vans, equipped with Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology - which instantly spot any vehicle using the roads without up to date tax.

Vehicles are also targeted by a 300 strong team run by NCP Services on behalf of DVLA.

Bethan Beasley of DVLA's wheelclamping unit, said: "The people whose vehicles have been removed or clamped are hard-core offenders - not people who have just missed renewing their tax by a few days, but people who have shown no intention of taxing their vehicles.

"Routinely we find such vehicles have no insurance or MOT, these vehicles are dangerous and the best thing to do is immobilise them or get them off the streets as soon as possible."

NCP Services is running a fleet of high-tech ANPR vans, with cameras which can read number plates at up to 20 miles per hour, backed up with towaway vehicles and clampers.

Owners of clamped vehicles must pay a release fee of £80 and a valid vehicle licence must be produced. They will also be pursued for any back tax that is owed.

Those vehicles that are impounded and not claimed after seven days could be crushed.