Tax cheats face crushed cars

Clampdown on Road Tax Cheats

Cars without vehicle excise duty discs will be clamped, then possibly towed away, and crushed if not claimed within five weeks.

Baroness Hayman, the Roads Minister said the scheme had been set up to target "hardcore persistent offenders" whose cars, "if they can't be sold they will be crushed".

The Minister also said that her department will be considering lowering the amount of alcohol drivers are allowed to consume in an attempt to reduce road casualties.

Baroness Hayman sets out the new clamp and crush proposals
Dur. 2' 54"

The new rules will take effect from August 18, when wheelclamping contractors will seek out road tax cheats and clamp their vehicles.

Baroness Hayman targeting the hardcore of tax cheats

Car owners will have to pay £68 to get the clamp removed and will also have to show a valid tax disc. Vehicles will be towed away and impounded if not claimed within 24 hours. After that, the release fee goes up and if vehicles stay unclaimed for five weeks, they will be crushed or sold at auction.

"We are determined to clamp down hard on this irresponsible group who evade paying their road tax," said the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency head of enforcement Haydn Madoc.

"Law abiding motorists have nothing to fear, but road tax cheats should beware as they could end up carless and penniless," he insisted.

A pilot scheme last year in five London boroughs netted more than £2 million in additional revenue. More than 500 vehicles were clamped, of which nearly 60% were unclaimed and were either crushed or auctioned.

The Automobile Association said the clamping campaign would also help reduce the number of uninsured drivers on the roads. There are about two million uninsured drivers and most are also untaxed as they cannot buy the tax disc without an insurance certificate, said AA road safety head Andrew Howard.

"Their selfishness affects all other motorists, because about £10 is added to average car insurance premium to cover the cost of uninsured drivers," he said.

"Under this new scheme, those drivers who are clamped must buy road tax, and therefore insurance, before they get their vehicle back," added Mr Howard.