A crackdown on untaxed cars in Sheerness and Sittingbourne has seen almost 40 cars being clamped in two days.

The DVLA’s contractors NSL took the action against 39 cars, which included two vehicles in Delamark Road, Sheerness.

Drivers have to pay a release fee of £100 and if they cannot show the vehicle has been taxed they will also have to pay a surety fee of £160 – refunded if the vehicle is taxed within 15 days.

If the release fee is not paid in 24 hours, the DVLA will impound the vehicle and the fee will rise to £200, with an added storage charge of £21 per day. Again, the surety fee rules will also apply.

The DVLA tends to send out late licensing penalties of £80 in the post before it gets to the stage where cars are clamped, but its partner NSL also enforces untaxed parked vehicles.

A DVLA spokesman said: “It’s an offence not to tax a vehicle before it’s driven on the road.

“While DVLA does tell drivers when this is due by sending reminders and last chance notices, action will be taken against those who don’t arrange this – otherwise it wouldn’t be fair on those who do the right thing.

“Nearly 99% of vehicles on the road are taxed correctly.”

The vehicles were clamped over two days of action on Sunday, March 12 and Monday, March 13.

Since the paper disc was scrapped in October 2014, a report suggests the Treasury has lost around £80 million in revenue, but the DVLA said some of this will have been recovered through enforcement activity.

The report said: “There have been a number of changes to collection procedures, which will have impacted on customer behaviour and these may also have contributed to the reduction in compliance.

"The agency has taken considerable steps to ensure motorists are aware of the vehicle tax changes and have responded quickly where there have been issues.”

As well as getting rid of the paper discs, first issued in 1921, vehicle tax now ends when a vehicle changes ownership and the new keeper is responsible for paying the charge immediately and the previous owner refunded, if appropriate.

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