A NEW campaign was launched today to crack down on road tax dodgers in Yorkshire.
The Driver Vehicle Licensing Agency has revealed a new range of enforcement weapons in its No Exceptions, No Excuses and No Escape campaign.
The campaign is gradually being introduced all over the UK in a joint effort between the DVLA and local police forces.
The Yorkshire campaign was launched in Leeds today.
Yorkshire is the first area where a new DVLA TV commercial about road tax dodgers will be screened.
The commercial features a new hotline number - 08000 325 202 - which the public can ring to report untaxed vehicles.
The DVLA will also use hi-tech Stingray cameras to read passing car number plates and check instantly whether the road tax has been paid.
All these new measures follow recent changes to road tax rules.
Under the new rules, the DVLA now issues automatic fines of £80 to drivers who do not renew their road tax on time.
The DVLA check who has renewed their tax every month, using a computer database.
If a car is off the road, drivers can still be fined for non-renewal unless they have written to the DVLA to make an official statutory off road notification.
If drivers continue to use an untaxed vehicle, they face a minimum fine of £1,000.
The move was welcomed by Colne Valley Labour MP Kali Mountford, who said: "It is going to go a long way to catching those people who have been thumbing their noses at authority by not paying their dues - and making everyone else pay more as a result."
John Moore, DVLA enforcement manager, said: "We are determined to target this irresponsible group who consistently evade paying their road tax. There is a strong link between untaxed vehicles, motoring offences, anti-social behaviour and crime."
