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The results of the 2009 Roadside Survey have shown another dramatic fall in road tax evasion on the UK's roads.

The latest figures, published last week, show another significant fall on top of the 40 per cent already identified in the first two years of NSL running the national wheel clamping operation on behalf of DVLA. The operation went live in May 2006.

Now the latest Roadside Survey has hsown that, in the UK, the estimated number of untaxed vehicles on the road fell from 330,000 to 244,000 between 2008 and 2009. The rate of evasion fell from 0.7 per cent in the previous 12 months to 0.5 per cent in the 12 months to the 2009 Roadside Survey.

Northern Ireland had the biggest drop - a steep decline in evasion from 2.8 per cent to 0.8 per cent.

NSL runs a national wheel clamping and removal operation, with a fleet of about 80 vehicles and a team of more than 300 people  targeting untaxed vehicles.

Many of those immobilised for being untaxed are found to have no insurance or MoT as well.

Chris Dexter, NSL's National Operations Manager, commented: "These are the kind of vehicles everyone wants to see off the road. I am delighted that the hard work and efforts of our team on the DVLA contract have paid off once again.

"It is clear there is still a hardcore out there which thinks it is ok to drive an untaxed vehicle - it is not, and we will continue our efforts to make sure that tax evasion reduces."