by Emma Grove

A crackdown has caught almost 40 untaxed vehicles on the road in the borough.

Operation Cubit, which is a Swale Borough Council, Kent Police, DVLA and Kent County Council initiative, aims to respond to the problem of untaxed, uninsured and abandoned vehicles.

In the latest action, 10 vehicles were caught on Sheppey, 18 in Sittingbourne and 10 in Faversham.

Nine offenders paid on the spot fines of £260, and they must also get their vehicles taxed within 14 days, and 29 cars were seized and taken away to be crushed, cubed or re-sold.

Alister Andrews, environmental response manager for Swale council, said: “We are extremely pleased with these results.

“By working with our colleagues at Kent Police, the DVLA, and Kent County Council we have caught motorists who have failed to tax their vehicles and also managed to rid communities of abandoned cars.

“We hope these operations will deter other people from trying to bypass the law.

“Abandoned cars cause a safety hazard and spoil areas.

“Operations like these go a long way towards our objectives of creating a cleaner and a safer Swale.”