Having been run into by 3 untaxed / uninsured drivers over the years I pretty anti people who dont tax / insure their cars.

So I was completely suprised to see a "car tax evader" van in may area that was going around electronically checking number plates / tax discs. I walked to the shops and saw quite a few cars (not all old bangers either) that had been clamped and had notices on them – I presume to be picked up and squashed unless they were taxed.

Never seen this before – is this a new move? Considering this is deepest Surrey is surprising how many untaxed cars they found.

How about 20% of cars untaxed/ uninsured?

You get them in my area too in Hampshire. I'm sure they've been doing it for some time now. If it was up to me they take untaxed cars away and crush them without warning.

See one almost every week checking passing cars near us. Trouble is the untaxed are also more likely to be unregistered as well so nowhere to send the fine.

jon1973 +1

There's often one on the A30 near Bagshot ish – they've pulled up some folks I know for having out of date MOTs too, but they were able to phone a local garage & book one on the spot so got let off.

Very common round our way although they tend to target moving cars.
By my old office they stick a van at one end of a bridge and a load of coppers in cars and on bikes at the other end. By the time the cars have reached the copper end of the bridge they know whether it's taxed/registered etc and pull them over. We would see *lots* of cars being loaded onto lorries for impounding/crushing.

Untaxed cars are usually uninsured/un-MOTed/unroadworthy so it's not just a money making exercise, it's a useful exercise in catching people who are a danger to the rest of us.

If only theyd crush them by the road side, and then charge them for the removal.

Outside the police station nearAlbert Dock in Liverpool there is a selection of cars seized by the police,and a lot of the local traffic cars now have ANPR fitted.

Saw a BMW, stoped last summer,prat in the front and mrs Pratt,police seized the car, and said you make your own arrangements to get home,pity he wasnt further than 100 miles from home,saw it in north wales and he was shouting he lived in Manchester.

Thats not very 'green' crushing a perfectly good car, would it not be better taking the cars off them and selling them on as spares or complete.

Seen a truck take away 4 in my street alone. He had to keep coming back.

Good move, I reckon. No excuse. Happy for people to pay to get the car back (assuming it is also road legal, MOT, insured etc.,) – lesson learned and all that.

Trouble is the untaxed are also more likely to be unregistered as well so nowhere to send the fine.

Car can't really be unregistered though can it, it always has to have an owner (last person who registered it) and it's their resposnibility to register it to the new person. They could give a false address, I suppose, but maybe they should make it more difficult to fiddle too.

Not very green to crush good cars, no mark I agree. But they don't, they sell them on unless they're not worth selling on.

I think that all cars that were caught were being wheel clamped. I presume to be removed then taken for taxing or crushing.

I was kind of surprised, it wasn't just giving them a ticket and letting them go to never catch them again.

It all seems very highly enforced.

Is there anywhere you can report them? Will local police be interested? There must be five or six on my estate alone.

If someone is driving their car without tax etc., they're not going to be too bothered by a fine. Pay the fine and don't bother with the tax (what's the cahnces of being caught twice?).

Pick 'em up to be collected by the owner or crushed is a really good way of doing it and one I wholeheartedly support.

If it was up to me they take untaxed cars away and crush them without warning.

I'm all for removing untaxed cars from the road – but you have to all a bit of leeway for the 'blonde' elements of society. Even on this forum we've have people posting that they've forgot to tax their car and wanting to know what will happen to them (how you can forget when to get a reminder weeks before though is beyond me!)

And don't forget the DVLA's systems are far from perfect!!

Should have googled it first…
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/OwningAVehicle/UntaxedVehicle/DG_4022073

i regularly have to report untaxed slightly damaged vehicles round where I live (no offroad parking for residents)

neighbours have pointed out to me one of the buildings round the corner is a large bedsit full of polish workers, and the vehicles appear to be simply left on the street when some have left the country

authorities seem very happy to remove them though

WHy can't they just confiscate them and give one to me/auction?

Waste of time crushing them.

zaskar, see above 😀

Seen a van cruising around the North West with an anpr camera on each corner or the roof, clamping parked cars which must flag up on the database or something as untaxed, and then put a huge sticker on the windscreen says "this vehicle is untaxed". Cars seem to get lifted if they get left for a certain number of days. About time they started doing this imo, our house pays around £600 a year in road tax, why should other people get away with it?!

At the car show/steam rally they have near here every year, the police always have a stand with a few decent cars (everything from Mercs to Lamborghini's) on that have been confiscated for various reasons (no tax/no insurance/used in crime and the owners haven't got them back) with the dates for the auctions!

EDIT: That link above for reporting untaxed vehicles has always worked well for anything I've reported. The cars have either gone, or been taxed within a couple of days!

Thats not very 'green' crushing a perfectly good car, would it not be better taking the cars off them and selling them on as spares or complete.

we sometimes get to cut them up at work 🙂

Road tax? Do you live in 1928?