MORE than 200 untaxed vehiclehave been towed from the streets of Worcester in a three-month clampdown on tax disc dodgers - and most of them have been crushed.

Sixty per cent of the 240 vehicles that were taken to a secret venue in the city were destroyed in a clampdown by the Driver And Vehicle Licensing Agency.

Bethan Beasley, head of the clamping operation for the DVLA, said: "This sends out a clear messsage to all road tax evaders that they won't get away with it."

During the operation, vehicles were taken by car park and clamping firm NCP, which was awarded a three-year contract to operate DVLA's wheel clamping scheme earlier this year.

NCP's new fleet of vans are specially equipped with state-of-the-art automatic number plate reader technology that can automatically check numberplates against a list of untaxed vehicles in seconds.

Any car identified as untaxed is clamped and possibly impounded and those not claimed after seven days can be crushed.

For clamped vehicles, the release fee is £80. In addition, a valid vehicle licence must also be produced. If a licence cannot be produced, a surety of £120 for a car or motorcycle and up to £600 for other vehicles must be paid before the vehicle can be released.

The surety payment is forfeited if a valid tax disc is not produced within two weeks.

Mrs Beasley added: "It is also great news for road safety in the Worcester area. Since car tax can only be purchased with a valid MOT and insurance certificate, it reduces the number of potentially dangerous untaxed, uninsured and unroadworthy vehicles on the road, helping to make the roads a safer place."

"The success of the Worcester operation marks a new chapter in our fight against car tax evasion. The new vans, combined with NCP's national reach, means we're able to track down, impound and potentially crush untaxed vehicles quicker than ever before.

Additionally she said that by targeting untaxed vehicles, they are also helping to fight wider vehicle crime as the occupants of untaxed cars are more likely to be involved in drugs, anti-social behaviour, burglary and violent crime.

Members of the public can report unlicensed vehicles to DVLA online at www.

direct.gov.uk/motoring or by ringing 08000 325202.