Untaxed cars towed in street clean-up operation

Illegal cars have been removed from Middlesbrough’s streets in the latest crackdown against flagrant law-breakers. The five untaxed vehicles were towed away after being identified in the Newport and Gresham areas of the town. A further car was seized under the Community Safety Accreditation Scheme after being found in a dangerous and abandoned state with a smashed window and a petrol can on the front passenger seat.

Middlesbrough Mayor Andy Preston today welcomed the operation and pledged to continue to pursue those putting members of the public at risk.

The latest seizures came as part of the National Neighbourhood Policing week of action, with Middlesbrough Council’s Environmental Neighbourhood Safety Wardens working alongside Cleveland Police’s Middlesbrough Neighbourhood Policing Team.

Mayor Preston said: “Newport and Gresham are great communities, and there’s no reason why they should tolerate this blatant criminality.

“Untaxed and dangerous vehicles are a blight on neighbourhoods and put lives at risk – operations like this show that those responsible won’t get away with it.”

While more than 98% of vehicles are taxed correctly, a small minority of vehicle keepers continue to break the law, at a cost of nearly £100 million to the Treasury every year. Devolved powers are given to local authorities to take on DVLA’s legal responsibility to take enforcement action on untaxed vehicles on roads and adopted local authority land.