DVLA's clampdown on untaxed vehicles has resulted in 150,000 cars being clamped or towed away in the UK in the 12 months to May 2008. The new figures are a huge rise in the previous 12 months, which saw action against 95,000. And the nationwide crackdown has seen numbers triple in three years.

Part of the success of the operation has been due a fleet of vans equipped with Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology -  which instantly spot any vehicle using the roads without up to date tax. Vehicles are targeted by a 300 strong team run by NCP Services on behalf of DVLA.   ANPR vans read the number plate of every parked vehicle they pass, at speeds of up to 20 miles per hour, and instantly identify any which are untaxed. The vehicles can then be instantly clamped. Bethan Beasley of DVLA's wheel clamping unit, said: "The result of this crackdown is great news for road safety in the UK. Since car tax can only be purchased with a valid MOT and insurance certificate, it reduces the number of potentially dangerous untaxed, uninsured and unroadworthy vehicles on the road. This helps to make the roads a safer place for everyone.  Our figures show that 8 out of 10 cars impounded for being untaxed are also without insurance. She added "By targeting untaxed vehicles, DVLA is also helping to fight wider vehicle crime as it has been proved that the occupants of untaxed cars are more likely to be involved in criminal activities involving drugs, anti-social behaviour, burglary and violent crime.

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 broken up and recycled.
Tim Cowen of NCP Services said: “The streets of the UK will be safer because of this new campaign. "It has never been easier to tax your vehicle, you can do it online, over the phone, by post or at a Post Office, so there is no excuse for not doing it."
He added: "We are delighted at the continuing success of the campaign and look forward to removing even more illegal cars from the streets over the next 12 months." He said that new powers coming in the Autumn would allow DVLA-authorised vehicles more powers to go onto areas which the public has access, such as verges and roads through housing estates and public car parks."

Currently there is a small but persistent problem with tax evaders using their vehicles but leaving them in public places which we were not allowed to access. Soon we will be able to and that can only be good news for our efforts to rid the streets of untaxed vehicles."
"Foreign-registered vehicles are also a problem on our streets and if a car has been in the UK for more than six months, it should be taxed - but many are not, and previously we have struggled to take action. The DVLA now have a system for tracking these vehicles as soon as they enter the countryp; so if we identify an untaxed one we know exactly how long it has been here. If it is breaking the law, we will treat it like any other untaxed vehicle."

For further information on the wheel clamping operation, contact Tim Cowen on 020 8991 7709
Notes to Editors
The 2006 to 2007 total – the first year NCP Services operated the contract, the total was 95,000
The 2005 to 2006 total was 37,500

NCP Services is the UK’s leading parking enforcement company. Formally part of the NCP car parking group, it was demerged in 2007, and is now a separate business delivering transport and related services including parking management, bus operations, airport services, urban planning and debt recovery.