Crackdown on illegal foreign vehicles

The Government's motoring authority has set up checkpoints in Harwich and Portsmouth to check the details of hundreds of passing cars and more ports are set to follow.

The law states that any car staying in the UK for more than six months must be re-registered with the DVLA.

Previously, there was no way of capturing and prosecuting the owners of illegally untaxed foreign cars kept in the country. But with the use of Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras, the DVLA can now trace owners of untaxed cars, who risk repossession of their vehicles.

A total of 1,233 drivers were caught by the DVLA in just seven days in Portsmouth. This comes after the authority recently gained extra powers to track down road tax evaders parked off the public road. Read more.

The black market 

Parker’s warned car buyers in March to avoid so-called ‘bargain’ foreign-registered vehicles that were being sold cheaply to unsuspecting UK buyers that thought they were getting a good deal.

These untaxed cars would often fail the MoT, could have been stolen and were uninsurable for UK residents.

Our investigation looked at a report published by the Association of British Insurers, which showed that the problem of non-registration was on the rise.

Read the full story here