[A]n operation targeting unregistered vehicles in Carlisle saw 64 vehicles clamped earlier this month.
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) visited Carlisle as part of a crackdown on unregistered vehicles which do not have current excise duty on their vehicles.
The operation lasted two days with the majority of offending vehicle owners paying the fine to unclamp their vehicle. 11 vehicles were seized from the streets and taken to a vehicle pound.
Suzy Issac, DVLA Gateshead, said: “This is the most vehicles we have ever clamped in a two day period and were quite surprised at the amount. Our vehicles are fitted with automatic number plate recognition which alerts us to vehicles listed on a database that are either unregistered with the DVLA or not road taxed. It’s the responsibility of vehicle owners to ensure their vehicles are both registered and taxed.”
Sergeant Chris Blain, Carlisle Local Focus Hub, said: “We work with partners from parking enforcement teams from both Carlisle City Council and Cumbria County Council who brought the issue of unregistered vehicles into the Local Focus Group.
“We were unaware of the scale of the problem until the DVLA visited the city during the first week of May.
“We will continue to work with the DVLA and partners, as I am well aware it is a concern to a number residents and motorists.
“A number of these vehicles were uninsured, which of course is of great concern to other law-abiding motorists. It is also an offence not to register your vehicle correctly, which can lead to a fine and endorsements.
“In facilitating this work we were able to target local persistent offenders who use vehicles as part of their criminality.
“We would like to warn motorists that we will be targeting unregistered vehicles and the DVLA will be doing follow up visits in the near future.”
