hwagstaff@thekmgroup.co.uk

Tax it or lose it. That was the message being sent out this week as police, council and government representatives scoured the town for untaxed vehicles.

The week was the latest part of the joint plan to make Maidstone a safer and nicer place to live, which has already seen dozens arrested for alleged drug dealing.

This week untaxed cars were the target, and a team of three police officers and a council official were roaming the town in a police jeep to identify those that needed removing.

When a vehicle was found, the DVLA (the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency) towed it away.

Frank Deal from NCP DVLA said vehicles seized ranged from old Skodas to a 2005 VW Passat.

Once a car is seized the owner is given the chance to pay a fine and retrieve the car, but also get it taxed or moved on to private property within 24 hours.

The alternative is grim.

Cars which would reach less than £5,000 at auction are sent to the crusher.

Higher value cars are sold at auction and the proceeds, minus the fine and unpaid tax, are returned to the owner.

Mr Deal said: “The message is simple. Tax your car. We won’t touch a taxed car, but if not...”

Last week, as part of the campaign, police checked number plates with the sophisticated automatic number plate recognition system.

They read 20,500 plates and stopped 38 vehicles. Of these, eight were seized for document offences and one person was arrested for drink driving.

Another woman was arrested for driving while disqualified, and two men arrested for shoplifting.