News - NSL

THOUSANDS more untaxed vehicles are being immobilised or towed away under a new intensive crackdown by the DVLA and its contractor NCP Services.

The company, one of the UK's leading transport services providers, has been able to track down many more law-breaking cars because of a newly-reorganised operation which enables it to send dedicated teams into specific parts of the UK.

The squads, part of a nationwide team of more than 300 enforcement officers, use high-tech vans, equipped with Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology - which can instantly spot any vehicle using the roads without up to date tax.

The result of the new campaign, which started on November 1, will be a dramatically increased number of untaxed vehicles clamped or towed away.

Tim Cowen Director of Communications at NCP Services explained We started working for the DVLA in May 2006 and in the first 12 months of our operation more than 95000 vehicles were clamped or removed.

"But we have gradually been building up intelligence about the pattern of untaxed vehicles in the UK, and we are now in a much better position to target the offenders. With the new targeted hit-squads we can be even more efficient at getting these vehicles off the streets."

In November, the first month of the new operation, 8,749 cars were towed away, a record for one month since direct enforcement (clamping or removal) was begun against untaxed vehicles. Included in that was an astonishing 562 on Thursday November 23, a record. "More untaxed cars were clamped or removed than on any other day since wheel clamping of untaxed vehicles was introduced in 1997," said Tim Cowen.

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."

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.

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 by post, over the phone,,at a Post Office or Online, so there is no excuse for not doing it.

"Plus, we are only going to get better and better at tracking down the offenders. Those figures for clamped and removed vehicles will keep on going up and up until the offenders realise they should tax their vehicles."

For further information on the wheelclamping operation, contact NCP Services communications manager James Pritchard on 020 7290 6218 or Tim Cowen on 020 7290 2345.